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Class V 1— 1 

Book 

Copyright N° 




COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 






Boohs by JMartba 'James 


MY FRIEND JIM. A Story of Real Boys and for 
Them. Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill. Large 
12mo $1.00 

TOM WINSTONE, “ WIDE AWAKE.” Illustrated 

by W. Herbert Dunton. Large 12mo .... 1.00 

JACK TENFIELD’S STAR. Illustrated by Charles 

Copeland. Large 12mo 1.00 


PIGEON CAMP SERIES 

JIMMIE SUTER. Illustrated by G. W. Picknell. 

Large 12mo 1.25 


LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 
BOSTON 



























































-« 



































































“ I’m going to build a house-boat. That is my scheme 

Paye 14. 






IMgeon Camp Series 


THE BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

THEIK LUCK AND FUN 


BY 

MARTHA JAMES 

Author of “My Friend Jim,” “Tom Winetone, ‘Wide Awake,”’ 
“Jack Tenfield’s Star,” “Jimmie Suter" 


ILLUSTRATED BY J. W. KENNEDY 



BOSTON 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 


Published, August, 1907 


’ UbriARY of CONGRESS 

I 

Two Cooles Received 

AUG 25 190/ 

Sojjvnght Entry 

l l*2 



.ASS 

/ 


f&b 



Copyright, 1907, 

BY 

Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 

All Rights Reserved 


THE BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 



NORWOOD PRESS 

BERWICK & SMITH CO. 

NORWOOD, MASS. 

U. S. A. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Joys of Camping 1 

II. Around the Fire 13 

III. Unexpected Visitors 26 

IV. Open House 35 

V. A Farmer and a Builder 43 

VI. A Midnight Call 52 

VII. “Lucci” 59 

VIII. “Ho, for a Swim!” 67 

IX. Prizes to Win 72 

X. A Pigeon Camp Plot 81 

XI. The Water-Machine 94 

XII. The Return 105 

XIII. A Long Sleep 114 

XIV. A Boy’s Adventure 122 

XV. A Moonlight Incident 136 

XVI. What a Day Brought Forth 144 

XVII. Building a House-Boat 153 

XVIII. Prize Work 172 

XIX. A Welcome Visit 180 

XX. A Few Incidents 190 

XXI. A Pleasant Surprise 203 

XXII. The Last Day 216 

XXIII. Good-Bye 222 







































































































































» 




















*• 













































ILLUSTRATIONS 


“ I’m going to build a house-boat. That is my 
scheme ” (page 13) Frontispiece 

PACING PAGE 

The boys saw that he was sketching Jimmie in the 
midst of his pigeons 62 

I 

With a cry of rage Jimmy swung out of the window, 92 

Soon a good stream of water was running along the 
trench and down into the garden 104 

For days after the house-boat was finished the boys 
of Pigeon Camp spent most of the time in it . . 172 


“Oh, father!” she cried, “this is the very j oiliest 
place you ever heard of ! ” 


200 



THE BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


CHAPTER I 

THE JOYS OP CAMPING 

“For we are jolly good fellows, for we are 
jolly good — ow!” Philip stopped short in his 
song and made a wry face. 

“Most of that dust went into my mouth.” 

“Keep your mouth shut,” retorted Jimmie, 
grinning down at his companion, from the top 
of an empty flour barrel on which he stood 
brushing dust and cob-webs from a very high 
shelf in the narrow closet of the small kitchen. 

“You know, Phil, you’ve got to eat a peck of 
dirt before you die.” 

“And you know Jimmie, I’d die before I’d 
eat a peck of dirt. However, if I really have to 
do it, I don’t fancy mine all at once. I’ll get 

l 


2 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


it in shares this summer when you’re the 
cook.” 

“Is that so!” said Jimmie, and dropped a 
handful of dust on Philip’s nose that made him 
run away and sneeze, but he came back and 
shook the barrel till the boy standing on it 
had to cling to the shelf for safety. 

“Let that barrel alone or I’ll drop on your 
head,” laughed Jimmie, dangling his legs in 
all directions. 

“Here you two !” cried Rand, coming into the 
room with an armful of wood, “if you don’t 
stop fooling, we’ll never get this place in order 
and I’m hungry.” He stooped to place the 
wood in a box behind the stove just as Philip 
gave a shout of laughter and Rand turned 
quickly to see Jimmie blinking down at him, 
his head and face white with flour. 

“See what your nonsense made me do,” cried 
Jimmie, while the two boys below roared at 
the funny picture. 

“Jimmie Suter is the whitest boy I know, 
now isn’t he?” cried the joker, as the boy on 


JOYS OF CAMPING 


3 


the barrel made every effort to brush the flour 
out of his eyes and nose. 

“Ben must have scraped out this flour bar- 
rel and left the contents in the bowl that upset 
on my head. Give me something to wipe my 
face, will you please?” 

“Take this,” and the mischievous Philip held 
up a big potato bag that our hero quickly made 
into a ball and let fly at the boy’s head, who 
laughing harder than ever, dodged sideways. 

Then the house-cleaning w T as continued. 
Philip passing to Jimmie dishes and boxes 
which he in turn arranged neatly on the 
shelves. 

“I wonder who this is,” said Jimmie, hold- 
ing up a small photograph that he found 
stowed away in a corner of the closet. Philip 
and Rand leaned forward to see the faded pic- 
ture of a sweet-faced girl, apparently about 
twenty years old. 

“She doesn’t look anything like Ben Ridge- 
way,” declared Rand. “I don’t think she’s a 
relation.” 


4 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Oli, she might be his sister,” mused Jim- 
mie. “Ben’s pretty old and grizzled-looking 
now, but he may have looked very different 
when he was a young man; well, I’ll put it 
back where I found it and then we’ll see about 
dinner.” 

“What are we going to have?’ asked Rand, 
putting a fresh stick on the fire he had kindled. 

“Roast duck stuffed with plums and i-c-e 
cream, but not to-day,” said Philip, with a 
twinkle in his eye, “we’ll have ‘b’iled’ dinner, 
and I’ll ‘b’ile’ it.” 

So saying he filled a kettle with water and 
placed it on the stove, while Jimmie jumped 
off the barrel and stood there watching 
him. 

“Whatchergoingtodo?” said our hero, who, 
I am sorry to say, had a bad habit at times of 
running his words together. 

“I’m going to get dinner for Jimmie de Bite, 
and his pal, Red-Handed Cotter — see?” 

“Hurray !” shouted Rand, brandishing a 
stick of wood over his head and entering into 


JOYS OF CAMPING 


5 


the spirit of Philip’s mood with boyish en- 
thusiasm. 

“Tip-toed Tammany, the king of all detec- 
tives is on our trail, but we’ll fool him yet. Ah ! 
what was that ! I heard a sound ! The door ! the 
door ! ! the door ! ! !” 

Practical Jimmie had unconsciously made a 
move for the door, before he thought of him- 
self and halted with a grin, while Philip and 
Rand gave a shout of laughter at the success 
of their “play-acting.” 

But the water was boiling and Philip’s 
merry eyes sobered as he untied a covered bas- 
ket and drew forth several small packages. 

“My mother put all the things in this basket 
for a lamb stew, but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten 
what she said about cooking it; well, here 
goes ” 

He dropped the contents of several of the 
bundles into the kettle and then placed some 
onions on the table. 

“I’m not sure whether or no these onions go 
in, but I think they do. Now, you two fellows 


6 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


can peel them, and don’t weep over your 
task.” 

“Pshaw! It doesn’t make me weep to peel 
a few onions,” said Rand, starting in with a 
will, while Jimmie whistled his merriest over 
the work. 

“Of course not,” said Philip, “but there’s 
moisture on Jimmie’s freckles and the great 
Red-Handed Cotter is wiping his eyes.” 

“Say ! my eyes do smart,” cried Rand ; 
“here, take your old onions ; let’s eat ’em skin 
and all,” and so saying Rand made a move to 
throw them into the pot. 

“No, that’s not right,” cried Philip, taking 
the onions, “we’ll do this thing in the proper 
way while I’m the chief cook ; and a lamb stew 
is fine, when it’s made right. Now I’ve enough 
of them.” 

“While you are attending to the dinner,” 
said Jimmie, starting for the door, “I’ll go and 
feed the pigeons and Rand can clean up the 
barn. When you are ready for us, Phil, just 
whistle, and let it be soon.” 


JOY , Sf OF CAMPING 


7 


(( I think I’ll make up the cots in the tent 
before I do anything else/’ said Rand; “we’ll 
sleep there to-night, you know.” 

“That’s so,” said Jimmie, “well, go along 
and I’ve just thought of a big horn hanging in 
the barn at home that would be a good thing 
to blow at meal times. If we happened to be 
over in the woods or down on the lake we could 
always hear it.” 

“The very thing !” cried Rand, “I’ll jump on 
my wheel some time to-day and get it.” 

“While that stew is boiling I’m going to 
have a look at my garden patch,” said Philip, 
suddenly appearing in their midst. “I’m 
afraid the soil is rather poor and I may have 
to work over it a good bit before I plant it.” 

In the meantime Jimmie had prepared a 
quantity of soft meal and went outside the 
barn, where he called his flock of pigeons and 
was soon deeply interested in feeding them. 

Our hero had never before made a study of 
the birds, but Rand had secured a book which 
he loaned to Jimmie, who had just begun to 


8 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


read about the feats of Homing Birds and 
Tumblers and had learned some points on Al- 
monds, Barbs, Fantails, and Pouters. When 
his task was complete and the hens also 
had been fed, Jimmie sought Rand in the 
handsome new tent on the edge of the 
lake. 

In a few minutes Philip’s whistle was heard, 
and they went back to the cottage for dinner 
and discussed plans for the future. 

It was decided that each boy should take a 
turn in preparing the meals for a week at a 
time, beside attending to the regular duties in- 
cident to camp life. Jimmie’s mother had 
sent home-made bread and other necessary 
supplies to last a week. After that it would be 
Rand’s turn to provide, and then it would fall 
to Philip’s mother to send over the bread, etc. 
Other things, in the way of certain groceries 
could be bought at the village store, the boys 
sharing equally all the expenses, which under 
the circumstances would be small. 

“And now, what shall we do this after- 


JOYS OF CAMPING 


9 


noon?” asked Band, when the house-keeping 
arrangements had been gone over. 

“Let’s take the boat and go down the lake 
fishing,” said Jimmie; “w T e’ll catch some bass 
for supper.” 

“The very thing !” said Rand, jumping to his 
feet, “and when we come back we’ll make a fire 
outside the tent, swing a pot over it and have 
a real gypsy supper.” 

“I can’t go in the boat,” said Philip quietly, 
as he began to clear away the dishes. 

“Why not?” asked the boys, almost in one 
breath. 

“Because I promised my mother I would 
never go on the lake till I had learned to 
swim.” 

“Can’t you swim?” asked Jimmie, in the 
most surprised tone. 

“Not a stroke, I’m sorry to say. Perhaps 
I’ll learn sometime,” added Philip hope- 
fully. 

“You’ll learn this summer,” said Jimmie, 
“my father is a fine swimmer and has an easy 


10 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


method of teaching the trick; he’ll be glad to 
teach you.” 

“He taught me,” cried Rand. “I’ll never 
forget his swimming lessons. I’d never ven- 
ture beyond my depth even after I had mas- 
tered the stroke and everything, until one day 
he took me out and I was actually swimming 
in deep water as easily as you please and never 
realized it at first, but when I did I was never 
afraid again.” 

“I suppose you’re a good swimmer,” said 
Philip turning to Jimmie. 

“Oh, fair.” 

“Good swimmer !” exclaimed Rand. “He can 
swim with all his clothes on; he can hold his 
breath and swim under water for the longest 
time, like a rat. Oh, Jimmie’s a wonder, when 
he’s wet !” 

“Well, I won’t go fishing in the boat,” said 
Philip, “but that needn’t keep you boys away. 
Go along, both of you and I’ll work in the gar- 
den this afternoon. This camp garden is go- 
ing to be a good one if I can make it so.” 


JOYS OF CAMPING 


11 


This plan was finally agreed upon and when 
sometime later Jimmie and Rand pushed off 
from Ben’s landing in the old boat they could 
hear Philip singing, “For we are jolly good fel- 
lows,” at the top of his voice. 

“Now,” said Rand, as they glided over the 

calm surface of the water, “there’s a certain 

dark spot on this lake where little fishes love 

to dwell. I’ve called on them several times 

» > 

and always found them at home. D>o you know 
that spot, Jimmie?” 

Jimmie replied that he did. 

“Then we’ll make for that spot with the 
greatest speed and the least noise possible.” 

“I wish this was a river, Rand, instead of a 
lake.” 

“Why? isn’t it big enough for you, Jim- 
mie?” 

“It is in one sense and then again it isn’t. 
You can see all of it at once and I know every 
square inch of it. Now, if it were a great 
river it would be different. If you went 
sailing on it you could go to places and 


12 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


there would be something new to meet all the 
time.” 

“Yes, that’s true,” said Rand, “but we can 
have lots of fun right here. I’d like to live on 
this lake; yes, right on the lake for a while, 
wouldn’t that be jolly? We could if we had a 
house-boat.” 

But Jimmie did not answer. He was star- 
ing at Rand with beaming eyes, a smile on his 
freckled face. 

“I’ve an idea, Rand !” 

“Let’s hear it, Jimmie. Your ideas are al- 
ways worth hearing.” 

“Wait,” said Jimmie, “it’s a fine old scheme, 
but I want to think it over.” 


CHAPTER II 


AROUND THE FIRE 

When the boys returned from their trip a 
few hours later with a fine string of fish, a 
roaring fire was built near the tent and they 
proceeded to cook their supper in real camp 
fashion. 

“Have you thought long enough about that 
scheme of yours to let us know it now?” asked 
Rand, turning to Jimmie, as they sat around 
the fire, watching Philip fry the fish. 

“Yes, Fm going to tell you about it, but I 
was going to say Fd like to take that lot back 
of the barn.” 

“No sir-ee,” interrupted Philip, “I’ve picked 
out that spot to plant corn, because my garden 
isn’t going to be half large enough. What do 
you want that lot for, anyway?” 

13 


14 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“I’m going to have that place for my lum- 
ber yard,” returned Jimmie. 

“Lumber yard! what do you want with a 
lumber yard, I’d like to know?” 

“Well, I’ll tell you. You wanted some of 
Pigeon Camp for a garden. You wanted to 
grow beans and corn didn’t you?” 

“Surely,” nodded Philip. 

“Well, I want to build a little this summer, 
and I’m going to have a lumber yard.” 

“Oh ! there’ll be plenty of room,” said 
Philip, smiling. “What are you going to 
build?” 

“I’m going to build a house-boat. That is 
my scheme.” 

“House-boat!” cried the boys in doubtful 
tones. 

“Yes, house-boat,” declared Jimmie. “I’ve 
got a plan in my head and before many weeks 
are over there’ll be an addition to Pigeon 
Camp in the shape of a new kind of boat. 
There’s a lot of old lumber piled up on the 
other side of the lake where the burnt ice- 


AROUND TEE FIRE 


15 


houses were. Do you suppose Mr. Burbank 
would sell some of it to us cheap ?” 

“I think he would,” said Rand, whose father 
was a personal friend of the owner of the 
burnt ice-houses. “I ’ll ask him when you want 
to begin.” 

“Well, first of all, I’ve got to get some stout 
barrels, and that means a trip to Baxter’s 
store at an early date.” 

“So that’s the scheme you had in your head 
this afternoon. Well, it’s a good one,” said 
Rand. 

Sitting around a camp-fire, eating a supper 
of fish just out of the water, and home-made 
bread and butter was a novelty to the boys, 
who thoroughly enjoyed the situation. 

“This is our first night in camp,” said Rand; 
“do you realize that we are monarchs of all we 
survey?” 

“I do,” laughed Philip, “this lake is ours, 
that woods over there is an undiscovered coun- 
try to be explored to-morrow. We’re partners, 
that’s what we are.” 


16 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“A real camp,” continued Rand, “on a lake 
close to a woods! It sounds just like a story in 
a book.” 

“It’s better than any of your book stories,” 
declared Jimmie, “they are just ‘make believe’ 
all the time, but this is the real thing.” 

“Jimmie doesn’t hanker for books, you 
know,” laughed Rand, turning to Philip; “all 
he wants is a hammer, a saw, and a handful of 
nails.” 

“Oh, I like some books well enough. When 
they tell you about things that really hap- 
pened, they are good.” 

“And sometimes when they tell about things 
that didn’t really happen, they are good,” said 
Rand, warmly. “Now, a long time ago I read 
a story that didn’t happen, but I liked it so 
well, I’m sure I’ll never forget it.” 

“What was the name of it?” asked Philip. 

“Before I tell you the name, I want you to 
listen a moment, because I’m going to ask you 
a question at the end 

“A certain king ” began Rand. 


AROUND TEE FIRE 


17 


“Hold on a minute; is this a riddle?” ex- 
claimed Philip, interrupting him. 

“Not exactly, but you listen and answer 
when I get through with my tale. 

“A certain king had three sons, who, when 
they grew to manhood all wanted to marry the 
same beautiful princess. 

“Now, of course, they couldn’t all marry her 
and the king loved his sons equally well, but 
he was sorely troubled to know which one 
ought to wed the princess. 

“At last he hit upon a plan that he thought 
would be fair to all. 

“He called his sons one day, gave each one 
a purse of gold and told them to go away for 
a year, travel all over the world and the one 
who brought back the rarest and most precious 
gift could marry the beautiful princess. 

“Then the brothers had a little talk together 
and decided to separate, each one taking a dif- 
ferent direction ; but they agreed to meet in a 
certain place one year from that day, to tell 
their adventures and what success they had 


18 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


had in getting a precious gift, before they re- 
turned to the king. 

“The first brother started south, and one 
day in the city of Bagdad, he saw an old man 
selling rugs. The prince stood for a moment 
and watched the people buy the beautiful car- 
pets until all were sold with the exception of 
one, faded and old, for which the man asked a 
fabulous sum. The prince, out of curiosity, 
went up to the old man and asked him why he 
wanted so great a sum of money for an old 
rug. 

“ ‘Ah !’ said the man, ‘this rug has a wonder- 
ful power ; you have to sit on it and wish your- 
self in a certain place and you will be trans- 
ported there at once/ 

“At first the Prince would not believe this, 
but the old man bade him sit on the rug, then 
seating himself at the side of the prince he 
asked him where he would like to go and at the 
young man’s request they arose in the air and 
were almost immediately transported to the 
spot. 


AROUND THE FIRE 


19 


“The prince was delighted when he discover- 
ed the magic carpet and he bought it at once, 
feeling very sure that his brothers would never 
find anything so wonderful, and filled with 
joy at the thought of his success in winning 
the princess he traveled all over the world on 
the magic carpet, until the time arrived when 
he w r as to meet his brothers. 

“In the meantime the second brother had 
secured in a remarkable way a glass tube. To 
all appearances, I imagine, it was just an ordi- 
nary spy-glass, but the magic part of the tube 
was this : one had but to express a wish to see 
anything or anybody in any part of the world, 
and by looking into the tube, his wish would 
be instantly gratified. The second brother 
paid an enormous sum for the magic tube, 
then he, too, hastened on his way to meet 
his brothers, convinced that nothing in the 
world could be quite so precious a gift as 
his tube. 

“But the third brother had also found a 
marvelous gift. He had bought an apple 


20 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

that possessed the power to cure any ill in the 
world. 

“No matter how sick a person might be he 
had but to smell the apple and he would in- 
stantly be cured. 

“The third brother, it is needless to say, 
was overjoyed at his purchase of the won- 
derful apple and hurried to the place ap- 
pointed to meet his brothers, feeling cer- 
tain in his mind that he should win the prin- 
cess. 

“When the three brothers met they seated 
themselves on the magic carpet, and each 
showed the gift he had secured, describing the 
power of it. To prove the truth of his remarks 
the second brother asked his companions to 
look through his tube. 

“The brothers expressed a wish to see the 
princess, and then looked into the tube, but 
imagine their surprise and sorrow when upon 
looking into the magic tube they saw the beau- 
tiful princess lying sick unto death; her at- 
tendants standing about weeping and wring- 


AROUND THE FIRE 


21 


mg their hands, and the doctors shaking their 
heads, all hope apparently gone. 

“The princess was dying and the three 
brothers were filled with dismay when they 
realized what the scene meant, but quick as a 
flash they j ecided to go at once and try the 
marvelous power of the apple. 

“Thereupon they all wished to be transport- 
ed to the chamber of the princess, and in an 
incredibly short time they were there. The 
weeping attendants stepped back when the 
brothers hastened to the bedside and just as 
the dying princess was breathing her last, the 
apple was held to her nostrils. Suddenly the 
princess opened her eyes, smiled on those 
about her and arose from the bed wholly cured 
of her terrible illness. 

“Now, my question is, which of the three 
brothers should have won that princess; in 
other words, which one of the three gifts was 
the best?” 

“Why! the apple, of course,” said Philip, 
“for without it the princess would have died.” 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


99 

44 

a But don’t you see,” cried Jimmie, “that 
without the aid of the magic carpet they would 
not have arrived in time to save her. I think 
the carpet was the best.” 

“But if they hadn’t had the magic tube, they 
could not have seen the princess, vsd so they 
would not have known anything about her ill- 
ness and she would have died. Don’t forget 
that wonderful glass tube,” said Rand. 

“Did you make up that story?” asked Jim- 
mie, who had a vague idea that Rand could do 
almost anything in that line. 

“No, indeed. I read it a long time ago in 
the Arabian Nights, but you haven’t answered 
my question yet.” 

“Well, in this particular case,” said Jimmie, 
“one gift was just as valuable as the others.” 

“Just what I think,” said Philip, “but I 
know which one I would have chosen if I could 
have only one.” 

“Which?” asked both his companions in a 
breath. 

“The apple, wouldn’t you?” 


AROUND THE FIRE 


23 


“No, indeed,. I wouldn't,” said Jimmie; 
“give me that moving carpet every time.” 

“You mean the magic carpet,” said Rand 
with a smile, “and I think I'll take that one 
too.” 

“I'll stick to the apple,” declared Philip, 
“and I'm not sure that it wasn't the best and 
most precious of the three.” 

“What good would that apple do you. I'd 
like to know?” laughed Rand. 

“Why, if I had it, I could cure myself!” 

“You're never sick, are you?” inquired Jim- 
mie. 

“No, but I might be, and then if I owned 
that apple I'd never die, and I'd make millions 
of dollars. I'd travel all over the country like 
that Professor Steptoe, who came to Sunny- 
view last spring, and I'd cure everybody with 
the wonderful apple.” 

“I'd rather have the magic carpet than any- 
thing else in the world,” said the story-teller; 
“just fancy traveling through the air, it 
sounds good, eh, Jimmie?” 


24 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


Jimmie balanced a piece of bread on one 
linger, and said thoughtfully: 

“People may sail through the air someday. 
Men first got their idea of water navigation 
from water birds; they studied the shape of 
their bodies and all that, so why couldn’t they 
make something on the same principle of a 
bird that flies — a flying machine — I’m going 
to try to build one some day.” 

“By the way,” observed Philip, “you haven’t 
told us, Band, which brother won the prin- 
cess.” 

Band laughed softly. “I’ve forgotten my- 
self. I’ll have to read it again sometime and 
find out.” 

“I’m going to read it too,” said Philip, “that 
and the story of Ali Baba and the Forty 
Thieves.” 

“Speaking of thieves, what would you do if 
they broke into our camp some dark night?” 
asked Band. 

“What would you do, Jimmie?” 

“I don’t know. What would you do?” 


AROUND THE FIRE 


25 


“I’d make believe I had a loaded pistol and 
I’d say, ‘stand or I’ll shoot,’ that’s what I’d 
do,” answered Rand. 

“Wot a brave boy yer are, to be sure,” said 
a husky voice behind them. 

The three boys turned with a start to see 
who had spoken. 


CHAPTER III 


UNEXPECTED VISITORS 


Tramps ! 

There was no doubt about that. Two men, 
unshorn and ragged, stood surveying the 
scene, a leer on their grimy faces. 

One of them carried a short pine branch, 
which he waved over his head as he approach- 
ed a step nearer and said : 

“Would you please give two hungry men a 
bite to eat, boys?” 

“Yes, sir,” said Rand, jumping to his feet. 
He placed some fish and bread and butter on a 
plate and passed it to the man, who made a 
low bow. 

“Thank yer, sonny, thank yer, what a fine- 
looking chap you are and what a fine tent! 
That looks as if you was camping out.” 

26 


UNEXPECTED VISITORS 


27 


‘‘We are camping here.” 

“And yer folks live over there in that cot- 
tage behind the big barn?” 

“No, sir, that’s part of our camp too, there’s 
no one up here but ourselves.” 

“What ! yer don’t mean to say that you three 
young fellers are camping out here all alone?” 

“That’s just what we are doing,” replied 
Rand, with a smile. 

“Well, say, pard! this is wot I call luck,” 
said the tramp, seating himself before the fire, 
where he was immediately joined by his com- 
panion. 

“Just pass over that loaf, sonny, an’ the but- 
ter; we do love good bread and butter, don’t 
we brother?” he said, turning to his friend 
with a grin, adding, “and this is good, just like 
mother used to make.” 

“Got anything to drink?” asked the tramp, 
who up to this moment had been a silent part- 
ner in the affair. 

“Water,” said Rand shortly, “there’s plenty 
of that” 


28 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


The fellow made a wry face, but the other 
said quickly, “Ah, there is nothing better than 
a drink of good water when you can’t get any- 
thing else. Bring on the water, my boy, an’ 
I’ll drink your health.” 

Rand placed a large pitcher of water, which 
was good at Pigeon Camp, and the camp mugs 
before the talkative one. He immediately 
tilled them and passing one to his fellow-trav- 
eler, with a sweep of his hand, said gallantly : 

“Here’s to the three jolly campers, may they 
never know a sadder hour than this.” 

He drained the mug, smacked his lips and 
gave a prolonged wink, screwing up his face 
in so grotesque a manner, that the boys, who 
had regarded the intrusion with mingled feel- 
ings, smiled in spite of themselves. 

“Would you like something more?” asked 
Rand, when everything in sight had been de- 
voured by the hungry travelers. 

“Ah-h! There, you have said it, that is the 
pass-word of our fraternity — ‘something more, 
please.’ ” 


UNEXPECTED VISITORS 


29 


Rand, who could not keep from smiling at 
the queer faces the tramp made every now and 
then, had started for the cottage, when all at 
once, the man with a wave of his hand bade 
the boy take a seat. 

“We will not further tax your hospitality. 
You have entertained two strangers at your 
board, my boy, and it may please you to know 
that one of them is the son of a king.” 

“A king! What is your name?” 

“ ‘My name is Norval, on the Grampian 
Hills my father feeds his flocks/ but he abso- 
lutely refused to feed me, and so I journey 
forth to earn my bread, by the sweat of my 
brow 7 and an axe.” 

This answer, though not very intelligible 
to the boys, caused the other tramp, who thus 
far had maintained silence, to shake with 
laughter, which was so infectious that the boys 
found themselves laughing to. 

This tramp was certainly a jovial fellow. 

“You are the first real tramp I’ve ever met,” 
observed Rand; “do you like being a tramp?” 


30 


BOYti OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Do I like it? Ask the flowers if they love 
refreshing showers, ask the little birds that 
fly, if they love the azure sky. My boy, I’m a 
knight of the road, a guardian of the hay-loft 
and corn-field. The world in its ignorance, 
calls me a poor tramp, but I am, I assure you, 
a very gentleman of leisure.” 

“What do you do all day?” asked Philip. 
“We mostly rest, sonny. It’s a weary world.” 
“But if you don’t work, what makes you so 
tired?” questioned Jimmie. 

“Sympathy, my boy, sympathy. To see a 
poor farmer at work upsets my nerves, while 
the very sight of a saw makes my back to ache 
as if I had sawed and split a cord of hickory, 
but rest is sweet and life is sweeter, and now, 
my boys, here’s a riddle : 

“ ‘What is it that man loves more than life, 
Fears more than death or mortal strife; 
That which contented men desire, 

The poor possess, the rich require, 

The miser spends, the spend-thrift saves 
And all men carry to their graves?’ 


UNEXPECTED VISITORS 


31 


“Read me that riddle and I’ll say you are 
smart boys, every mother’s son of you.” 

At first the boys did not take the question 
seriously, supposing the tramp to be joking, 
but he repeated the riddle very slowly, one line 
at a time, and looked earnestly at them. 

The boys regarded each other a moment and 
then began to guess wildly. 

Rand said anything that came into his head. 

Once again the man repeated the riddle, 
whereupon Jimmie remarked softly, “I always 
thought men carried nothing to their graves.” 

“Right you are sonny, go to the head — noth- 
ing is the answer — just nothing.” The tramp 
gave Jimmie a friendly pat on the shoulder 
and digging deep into his pockets, drew forth 
an old black button about the size of a half-dol- 
lar, with an odd design on it in red and gold. 

“There, my boy, is a keepsake to remember 
me by, and now we must away. Come, brother, 
the night comes on apace and we are far from 
the king’s lodge.” 

He slapped his silent companion on the back 


32 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


and laughed merrily. Then the visitors arose 
and started off, but they had not gone far 
when the jolly one returned. 

He was still smiling, and as he drew near he 
took off the battered old felt hat and brushed 
it with a ragged coat sleeve, but when he stood 
before the boys, his face sobered, his whole 
manner underwent a change and the three 
boys realized all at once that the tramp had 
something to say that he meant. He was really 
in earnest this time. 

He looked at the boys keenly, his pale eyes 
shifting from one to the other, then he raised 
a warning finger and said solemnly : 

“Boys, I was once a boy like yourselves, 
happy as the day was long. I had a good 
home, a kind father, and everything money 
could buy. I am to-night a wretched, miser- 
able outcast, the butt of the unthinking, a blot 
on the community. Do you know what has ac- 
complished this? I will tell you. 

“When I was a youth at college, I tasted my 
first glass of rum and it marked my downward 


UNEXPECTED VISITORS 


33 


path. Boys, never touch rum in any shape or 
form !” 

The man’s voice shook and his lips trembled. 
He was about to speak again when suddenly 
in the road two figures appeared and turned 
into the camp. The poor tramp walked slowly 
away, but all laughter had faded from the 
faces of the boys who had just heard his sad 
story. 

Jimmie Suter’s father and mother had start- 
ed out to take a walk in the quiet of the even- 
ing and almost unconsciously their footsteps 
had wandered to the little camp that held 
their boy. 

“You have had company, I see,” said Mrs. 
Suter, when they had exchanged greetings. 

“Yes, mother, they are tramps,” and Jimmie 
looked again at the retreating figures of their 
late visitors, now almost out of sight. “We 
gave them some supper,” he added, and then 
proceeded to relate the whole story. 

When he reached the point where the ap- 
parently light-hearted tramp had come back 


34 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


and asked the boys never to taste rum, the 
woman’s eyes were wet with unshed tears. 

“Now, Jimmie, how was the first day in 
camp?” asked our hero’s father, when the epi- 
sode of the tramps had been dismissed. 

“Fine, father. Rand and I went fishing and 
caught enough for supper, and that reminds 
me that Philip can’t swim, but he wants to 
learn just as quickly as ever he can, so that 
he, too, can go in the boat with us.” 

“Well, we’ll see when we can take him in 
hand for a first lesson,” replied Mr. Suter. 

Then the visitors explored the camp a little 
way, and after a short conversation turned to 
walk home; but before Mrs. Suter took leave 
of her boy, she said softly: 

“Jimmie, when you say your prayers to- 
night, ask our Heavenly Father to lead that 
poor tramp into the right path,” and Jimmie 
Suter did not forget his mother’s words. 


CHAPTER IV 


“open house” 

The boys had planned to have a merry time 
on the Fourth of July, and decided to invite 
all the boys and girls of Sunnyview to the 
camp on that day. 

They were talking it over one morning, a 
few days after the incidents of the last chap- 
ter, when Rand said, suddenly turning to 
Jimmie: 

“Do you really mean to invite everybody?” 

“Yes; that is just what I mean. Why?” 

“Shad Wilber?” questioned Rand, looking 
very much surprised. 

Jimmie Suter did not answer. For a sec- 
ond the picture of the fine ice-boat that Shad 
had destroyed flashed before his mind and a 
shade of anger and resentment clouded the 
33 


36 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


boyish face. Then, as if determined not to 
harbor the bitter thoughts, Jimmie’s face 
brightened and he said quickly : 

“It would be mean to leave him out when 
all the other boys are invited, so we’ll ask him 
too.” 

Then the invitations were written and later 
in the day Jimmie and Rand jumped on the 
tandem and rode swiftly to the village of 
Sunnyview. 

They stopped at the very first house and left 
two of the square white envelopes that con- 
tained the invitations. 

At the next house three were given to the 
little maid who opened the door. 

At almost every house one or more of the 
square envelopes were left, and the boys and 
girls for whom they were intended opened 
them with joyous anticipation to read the 
following : 

“You are cordially invited to visit Pigeon 
Camp on the Fourth of July. We shall keep 


“OPEN HOUSE” 


37 


‘open house* on that day, and hope to see all 
the boys and girls of Sunnyview. 

“Rand Cotter. 

“Jimmie Suter. 

“Philip Moon.** 

This accounted for the merry troop of 
young people who could be seen on the morn- 
ing of the glorious “Fourth,” wending their 
way to the camp, where our boys were 
ready to receive them and celebrate the great 
day. 

Everything about the camp had been put in 
neat order, and Philip had decorated the place 
with small flags and bunting. 

Jimmie had attached a flagpole to a pine 
tree that stood near the entrance, as a flag- 
raising had been one of the chief events 
planned for this occasion. 

When, therefore, Jimmie’s schoolmates ap- 
peared, Hicks Bosworth and Charlie Baxter 
at their head, there was great rejoicing. 
Three cheers were given lustily for everybody, 


38 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


there was a great blowing of tin horns and 
trumpets, and the day’s fun began. 

Our hero had decided to send the flag up in 
a ball or true United States Navy style. He 
had learned about it the previous year through 
the columns of a magazine, and in order that 
everything should go off “ship shape and Bris- 
tol fashion,” he had been practicing for a few 
days. The pine tree was about thirty : five feet 
high, with not very wide branches, so that 
when Jimmie’s pole was lashed to it from a 
point about eight feet from the top and ex- 
tended above fully ten feet, it will readily be 
seen that the boys had a very picturesque and 
truly American flagpole. 

The halliards were rove through a small 
hole right at the top of the pole and the hole 
well greased, so that the ropes would pull 
easy. 

Then the ends of the halliards were attached 
by the eyes in the binding of the flag, which 
was folded lengthwise twice, then rolled into 
a small oblong bundle or “ball,” as it would be 


39 


“OPEN HOUSE” 

called aboard ship. After this the hoisting or 
upper halliard was picked up, a turn taken 
one and one-half times around the ball, and 
the slack or loop tucked under, then pulled 
tight, so that it made a good crease in the 
“ball” and would stand the strain of hoisting. 

The flag was then hoisted to the top of the 
pole, and with a quick jerk of the halliard the 
loop was undone and the flag “broke” glori- 
ously into shape amid tremendous applause. 

When the flag-raising was over and the 
party had grown weary of torpedoes and fire- 
crackers, the visitors walked all over the 
camp. 

Later in the morning Philip’s father and 
mother called, and to the joy of the campers, 
produced a supply of delicious home-made 
candy. 

In a short time Jimmie’s parents drove up 
in their old carryall with Tod and the baby. 
Duke was barking, as it becomes all American 
dogs to bark on the greatest holiday. 

Mrs. Suter presented the boys with a bas- 


40 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


ket of molasses cookies for their “spread,” and 
at noon, when almost everybody had found the 
shady spots near the lake, Mr. Cotter came 
into the camp in his big touring car. 

He whispered something to Rand that made 
the boy shout, “Good !” 

This meant that there was ice cream — quan- 
tities of it — coming for the visitors. 

Shortly after noon the “spread” was laid 
under the pines, and after it was over, the 
boys and girls sang many of their school 
songs. 

In the afternoon there were water sports 
of all kinds on the lake, and every boy who 
knew how to swim had a chance to win a prize. 

The last number on the programme of water 
sports was a game of baseball played on four 
rafts in the water. It was very exciting and 
made no end of fun for the visitors. 

The batsman stood on a springboard over 
deep water; the catcher on shore in regular 
position. The ball was a large, hollow one 
that belonged to little Tod Suter. The pitcher 


“OPEN HOUSE ” 


41 


delivered the ball while standing on one of 
the small rafts to the batter, who was armed 
with a toy bat or, as the boys gleefully called 
it, a “one-hander.” 

If the striker connected, he made a dive 
from the springboard and tried for “first,” 
fifteen or twenty feet away, the rest of the side 
trying to “field” the ball to first. 

The first baseman had the privilege of duck- 
ing the “runner,” or tipping him off the raft. 
If the striker missed and lost his balance, fall- 
ing into the water, the catcher could “soak” 
him with the ball, and if his aim were true, 
the striker was out. All such antics as these 
were allowed, and made the boys on shore 
shout with glee when w r ell-known rules of the 
land game were broken and made sport of in 
the water. 

Near the close of the long afternoon many 
of the visitors, with joyful expressions of their 
happy day spent at Pigeon Camp, started 
homeward. 

In the evening, our boys had a fine bonfire 


42 


BOYS OF PJGEON CAMP 


and some splendid fireworks. Red lights and 
blue lights were burned and all sorts of figures 
in the line of fireworks were exhibited. 

When all the visitors had gone from the 
camp and the last spark was extinguished in 
the bonfire, the little campers turned their 
footsteps toward the tent. 

“Pll never forget this jolly ‘Fourth/ ” said 
Rand, getting into his bunk. 

“No more shall I,” said Philip. 

“Fm going to sleep — good-night,” mur- 
mured Jimmia 


CHAPTER V 

A FARMER AND A BUILDER 

The next morning Philip Moon was at work 
in his garden patch before Jimmie or Rand 
was up, and when they did appear both boys 
laughingly declared that Philip was the early 
bird catching the worm. 

“I didn’t catch anything,” said the little far- 
mer, “but unless I am very much mistaken, 
I’ve discovered tracks that look suspicious.” 

“What do you mean?” asked Rand. 

“Why! look there,” and Philip pointed to 
the moist, soft loam, where the footprints were 
plainly visible. 

“Somebody got over the fence into my gar- 
den last night,” he went on, “though what he 
wants here is a mystery.” 

43 


44 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Some one has been here during the night!” 
cried Rand, studying the tracks. 

Jimmie looked at them for a moment, then 
darted into the barn to count his hens and pig- 
eons. 

He came back shortly and assured his com- 
panions that none was missing. 

The boys were puzzled over the strange foot- 
prints and talked of little else during break- 
fast. Afterwards they went out again and 
glanced all over the garden to see if the prow- 
ler had left anything around which might aid 
them in identifying him. 

As nothing was found, they finally dis- 
missed the matter and listened to Philip, while 
he told them what he had planted in the differ- 
ent beds. 

“So far, this has been a very dry summer,” 
said the gardener, “and perhaps the agricul- 
tural department of Pigeon Camp will be a 
failure, but I’ll do my best.” 

“Even if it should turn out to be a dry 
summer,” said Jimmie, “your farm isn’t 


FARMER AND BUILDER 45 

so big that you can’t give it plenty of 
water.” 

“But farms, even tiny ones, need the rain, 
Jimmie, and now an idea has just occurred to 
me. We used to have a cottage at the beach. 
It was the sunniest place in America I think. 
At any rate, there were scarcely a dozen trees 
in the whole place. 

“Our neighbors told us when we first went 
there that trees wouldn’t thrive, and it didn’t 
pay to plant them, but my father succeeded 
not only in having a fine garden, but actually 
raised some fine shade trees. 

“I remember that he took excellent care of 
them, and among other things, he used to fill 
a big tub full of water and let it stand out in 
the sun all day. Then he would use that water 
to wet his trees. Now I have an idea that if 
we can’t have rain, the water that has been 
warmed by the sun’s rays all day is the next 
best thing. My father declared there was 
magic in it for his trees, so I’m going to try 
it. I’ll get that tub in the barn and put it out 


46 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


here, and if we don’t have the ‘gentle rain from 
Heaven,’ I’ll use that.” 

“Pshaw!” cried Rand, with a smile, “what 
a lot of work you are going to make for your- 
self. I don’t believe it makes a cent’s worth of 
difference.” 

“I believe it does,” retorted Philip, “and 
that’s just where you and I differ.” 

“But it’s all the same water,” said Jimmie. 

“Yes, and it’s all the same wood that you 
use in building, but you take pains picking 
out the right pieces and all that sort of thing ; 
well, I’m going to take pains with what I use, 
too.” 

“Perhaps you are right,” said the builder, 
smiling. “I’ll tell you better when I’ve sam- 
pled some of your vegetables,” but Jimmie and 
Rand exchanged glances and smiled after- 
wards when they saw Philip carry out the big 
tub, put it against the fence in the sun, 
and then proceed to carry pails of water 
to fill it. 

The boy worked the whole morning in his 


FARMER AND BUILDER 


47 


garden and never stopped until Rand and Jim- 
mie, who had taken a spin on the tandem into 
the country, returned with a basket of wild 
strawberries for dinner. 

When it was over and the dishes cleared 
away, Jimmie asked Philip what he intended 
to do in the afternoon. 

“I’ve worked hard this morning,” said 
Philip, “and I believe Pm tired, so I think I’ll 
go off under the pines and read that story in 
c Young America.’ ” 

“I’m going to write a letter to my cousin,” 
said Rand. 

“Well, then I’ll say good-bye to both of 
you,” said Jimmie. “I’m going to see if I can 
buy some empty oil-barrels.” 

“Oil-barrels!” exclaimed his companions. 

“Yes, oil-barrels. I’m going to start on that 
house-boat, and I want everything at hand be- 
fore I begin.” 

“But why do you want oil-barrels, I’d like 
to know?” said Philip lightly. 

“For the same reason that you wanted that 


48 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP. 


particular sun-warmed water — they are the 
best for my purpose,” flashed Jimmie. 

Philip laughed softly. “I think, after all, I 
won’t go under the pines to read ; I’ll help you 
get those oil-barrels.” 

“And I don’t think I want to write that let- 
ter this afternoon,” observed Rand; “I want to 
see those oil-barrels at Pigeon Camp first.” 

“Good ! we’ll take the buck-board,” said Jim- 
mie, “because there are some short boards in 
the barn at home that we can get on our way 
back with the barrels.” 

When the boys were fairly started down the 
long road to the village, they realized what a 
very hot day it was. 

Sunnyview seemed all shut in that after- 
noon, and the boys met only a straggler here 
and there, while the only sound that greeted 
them was the drowsy hum of insects. 

Three hot, tired, dust-covered boys entered 
Baxter’s store, which looked invitingly cool 
and dark after their march with a hot sun 
pouring down upon them. 


FARMER AND BUILDER 


49 


To all appearances, no one was in attend- 
ance. Jimmie cast his eyes over the store, 
where everything in sight was covered with 
pink mosquito netting, and then coughed 
slightly to signal their presence, as it 
were. 

They were soon favored by the appearance 
of the pleasant proprietor, who emerged from 
a seat in the rear of the store, waving a palm- 
leaf fan. 

“Well, what can I do for you boys?” he 
asked with a smile; “provisions getting low at 
Pigeon Camp?” 

“No, sir,” replied Rand, “ we came to buy 
some barrels.” 

“Oil-barrels,” said Jimmie, “if you have any 
to spare.” 

Mr. Baxter slapped his knee with the big 
fan and chuckled. 

“Building again, Jimmie?” 

“Pm getting ready to begin, sir.” 

“Well, well, the last time it was cheese- 
boxes ; you wanted a load of ’em, if I remember 


50 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


right to build a canoe — what is it going to be 
this time, Jimmie ?” 

“A house-boat.” 

“Phew! pretty big undertaking, but I don’t 
think it’s too big for Jimmie Suter; well, now 
I’ll tell you, Jimmie, oil-barrels are not as 
plentiful as cheese-boxes, nor as cheap, I’m 
sorry to say. Fact is, they cost quite a little 
money, and more’n that, they’re kind of 
scarce.” 

“Haven’t you any?” inquired Rand, very 
much disappointed at the man’s words. 

“I was just going to say that I happen to 
have two empty oil-barrels.” 

“I’ll need more than that,” said Jimmie. 

“Well, of course, I’ll have others some time 
later,” the proprietor went on, “but I couldn’t 
sell one of those barrels for less than sixty 
cents apiece.” 

“Sixty cents apiece! I didn’t know they 
would cost as much as that,’’ exclaimed Jim- 
mie. 

“That is cheap for an oil-barrel,” said the 


FARMER AND BUILDER 


51 


grocer, while Rand said quickly in an under- 
tone, “We’ll all go shares in this affair, you 
know, Jimmie — we’ll each own a third of that 
house-boat. Isn’t that right, Philip?” 

“Just right. Twenty cents each for a barrel 
isn’t much.” 

“Very well,” replied Jimmie, and turning to 
the man, he said promptly : 

“I’ll take the two oil-barrels that you have, 
and about how soon do you think you’ll have 
some more?” 

“Oh ! I’ll have others in about two or three 
weeks’ time, I think.” 

“Then I’ll call in again at that time,” an- 
swered Jimmie; after which Mr. Baxter, with 
the aid of the boys, rolled the empty oil-bar- 
rels to the sidewalk, where they were placed 
on the buckboard. 

Then the trio started off again and never 
stopped till they reached the barn, where the 
short boards were procured, and they all 
marched to the camp. 


CHAPTER VI 

A MIDNIGHT CALL 

In the evening of the day they bought the 
oil-barrels, there was a thunder shower that 
kept the boys in doors, where they playfully 
teased Philip about the garden and his fear 
that he would not have “the gentle rain.” 

Later, the skies cleared for a while, but in a 
short time clouded over, and there was a 
steady downpour of rain for the rest of the 
night. As Philip had promised his mother 
that he would sleep in Ben’s cottage if there 
came a bad storm, Jimmie and Rand reluc- 
tantly agreed to take up their quarters there 
also. 

In the early evening Jimmie and Philip 
played checkers, while Rand read a story of 
52 


A MIDNIGHT CALL 


53 


adventure in “Young America/’ that he liked 
so well he insisted on the boys listening to it 
while he read aloud. 

When the story was finished, Philip suggest- 
ed making chocolate fudge, which supplied 
good cheer until bed time. 

The boys of Pigeon Camp were not sorry to 
go to bed that night. It had been a busy day. 
Philip’s back ached from his long morning 
task in the garden, and the afternoon’s walk 
to Baxter’s store to bring home the oil-barrels 
made them all as tired as boys could be, so, al- 
though the rain pattered on the roof and the 
wind blew around their little house, they 
courted sleep with that sense of comfort that 
often comes to one warm in bed when the night 
is stormy without. 

But it seemed to Jimmie Suter that he could 
not have been asleep ten minutes when he was 
awakened by somebody pulling his arm. 

“Wake up, Jimmie, wake up !” 

“Who — what is it?” cried the boy, in a dazed 
way. 


54 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“It’s Rand and Phil; we’ve been trying to 
arouse you for ever so long.” 

“There’s some one trying to get in here — 
hark! don’t you hear that knocking?” 

Jimmie rubbed his eyes, noticed by the dim 
light of the candle that his companions were 
fully dressed, then jumped out of bed and into 
his clothes in a shorter time than I can tell 
you. He started for the door, when Rand put 
a hand on his shoulder, saying, “Wait, Jim- 
mie, suppose it’s thieves trying to get in here !” 

For a second Jimmie hesitated, then he said 
quickly, “Thieves would hardly knock at our 
door, I’m going to find out who it is.” 

So saying, he took the candle and went to 
the door. Then putting his lips to the key- 
hole, he shouted: 

“Who is it, and what do you want?” 

“Let-a me in — I come far — I go early in the 
morning — let-a me in for to-night.” 

The three boys regarded each other for a 
moment and it must be confessed that they 
looked frightened, but Jimmie was the coolest 


A MIDNIGHT CALL 


55 


of the three and in a flash he whispered in 
Philip’s ear, “You and Rand go in the other 
room, shut the door and listen; if everything 
isn’t all right, slide out of the window, get the 
tandem and fly for help.” 

The boys obeyed their leader at once, and 
when the door was closed between them, Jim- 
mie opened the outer door to admit a thin, 
swarthy man, evidently an Italian, accom- 
panied by a boy, with a little bag, who in spite 
of his shabby clothes, was remarkably hand- 
some. 

The two boys regarded each other for a mo- 
ment, then Jimmie Suter’s face broke into a 
smile and he held out his hand to the strange 
lad, whose dark eyes beamed, and from that 
moment there was a bond of good-fellowship 
established between them. 

“You are both soaking wet,” said Jimmie, “I 
might start a little fire and you could dry your 
clothes.” 

“Too much-a- trouble!” said the man, who 
had seated himself in a chair and sat there 


56 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

leaning forward, his head resting in his 
hands. 

“Not at all,” cried Jimmie, applying a 
match to the wood that he had placed in the 
stove. “I’ll lend yon some clothes to put on 
while your own are drying — here, Rand, here 
Phil, bring out a blanket or two, will you?” 

The two boys, who had been looking 
through the key-hole, drinking in every word, 
now made their appearance in the small 
kitchen, looking curiously at the new boy, 
who returned their glances w r ith a friendly 
smile. 

The man, however, paid little heed to the 
boys, but sat, without so much as raising his 
eyes, apparently lost in thought. 

Jimmie, who was busy tending to the fire, 
had taken it for granted that the couple were 
Italians, father and son, but he was rather 
taken aback when the new boy asked in excel- 
lent English : 

“Are you three boys, brothers?” 

“No, we are just friends,” returned Jimmie; 


A MIDNIGHT CALL 57 

“living here together, though,” he added with 
a smile. 

“Ah! that must be rare sport,” said the 
handsome youth, then lowering his voice, he 
said, “Camping out?” 

Jimmie glanced over his shoulder at the 
bowed head of the silent, swarthy man and 
nodded affirmatively. 

“Is he your father?” asked Rand, in a whis- 
per, motioning toward the silent figure on the 
chair. 

“Never,” said the new boy, throwing back 
his head proudly, and it seemed to the three 
interested boys, who were gazing at him with 
rapt attention, that there was a note of defi- 
ance in his low tones. 

“What’s your name?” asked Philip softly. 

“Augustine Paolucci.” 

“Phew! what a mouthful,” said the merry 
Philip, but the new boy said quickly : 

“I am called ‘Lucci,’ for short.” 

“There;” said Jimmie, putting a last stick 
in the stove; “that fire will dry you all up 


58 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

and you can make a shake-down on the 
floor.” 

So saying he disappeared, and returned a 
moment later with such covering as he could 
pick up. 

The new boy walked over to where the man 
sat, oblivious to everything that was going on 
around him, and touching his shoulder lightly, 
said : 

“Tony, they have made a rousing fire to dry 
us, and we can sleep here on the floor.” 

“Ah, what you say, Lucci?” 

The boy repeated the words, whereupon the 
man seemed to come out of the reverie into 
which he had fallen. 

“Oh, tanks, much-a- tanks,” he said, over and 
over. 

Then our hero said good-night and followed 
by Rand and Philip, retired to the other room 
for the night. 


CHAPTER VII 


“lucci” 

The boys of Pigeon Camp were up very 
early the next morning, but they found their 
guests were all dressed and looked ready to de- 
part. 

“You are not going off without something 
to eat,” declared Jimmie; “just wait a little 
while, and we’ll have breakfast; here, Philip 
and Rand, lend a hand here and get things 
ready, while I go out and find some fresh 
eggs.” 

So saying he opened wide the door and the 
breath of morning and summer filled the little 
kitchen. 

The wet pines, sun-warmed in the air, emit- 
ted a delicious fragrance and Jimmie stood, 
almost unconsciously a moment to inhale it. 

59 


60 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Isn’t it fine!” exclaimed Lucci, who had 
followed close at Jimmie’s heels. “I feel as if 
I could eat this air, don’t you?” 

“I think I’d like fresh eggs better,” answer- 
ed our hero, “come along and help me find 
some for our breakfast.” 

“Oh ! see those beauties,” cried Lucci, point- 
ing to the line of pigeons that began to circle 
over Jimmie’s head. 

“Those are ours,” said the leader of the 
camp, with boyish pride. 

“Do you mean they belong to the camp?” 

Jimmie nodded, saying, “Everything you 
see about here belongs to Pigeon Camp.” 

“I wish I belonged to it,” said Lucci, softly, 
a wistful smile on his face. 

Jimmie was on the point of opening the barn 
door, but he turned quickly and said, “I wish 
you did, Lucci;” and with that they entered 
and began to hunt for the eggs. 

“Hurray! Oh! see, I’ve found one, a real 
one !” cried Lucci, holding up a big, brown egg, 
as if it were a nugget of gold. 


“LZJCCI” 


61 


Jimmie smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm. 
Looking for fresh eggs was no new task for 
Jimmie, but it seemed to be a novel experience 
for his companion. 

“Didn’t you ever see eggs before?” asked 
Jimmie, with a laugh, when Lucci had gone 
into ecstasies over his second find. 

“Not this kind. I’ve seen eggs in large 
boxes in a store and once a man told me they 
had been packed in lime for weeks; I never 
saw them in the nest before.” 

“Well, look there!” and Jimmie pointed to 
an old felt hat under the steps that led to the 
loft. 

“Phew ! four big ones, aren’t they beauties?” 
cried Lucci, “and you have your pockets full 
besides.” 

“Not quite full,” laughed Jimmie, “but 
enough and to spare for breakfast.” 

When the boys emerged from the barn they 
saw Rand feeding the pigeons. Jimmie went 
indoors with the eggs and returned a moment 
later to watch his flock. 


62 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


He made a soft cooing noise, put out his 
right arm, and immediately a white carrier 
pigeon alighted on the palm of his hand, then 
one flew on his shoulder and still another on 
his fore-arm. 

Lucci looked on in wonder, but when Jim- 
mie held out both his arms and began to call, 
and made a queer cooing sound, almost the en- 
tire flock flew to him. 

“Wait!” cried Lucci. “Stay right where 
you are.” He darted into the house and re- 
turned a moment later with the little old bag 
that he had carried the night before, opened it 
and drew forth a book and pencil. Then he 
began to make rapid strokes and the boys saw 
that he was sketching Jimmie in the midst of 
his pigeons. 

“Look pleasant !” cried Philip, appearing in 
their midst; “you are going to be done in oils 
later on.” 

Then Philip’s keen eyes followed the quick 
strokes of the pencil and noted every turn of 
the new boy’s movements. 



The boys saw that he was sketching Jimmie in the midst 

of his pigeons. — Page 62 . 
















































































. 















“LUC Cl” 


63 


“Hurry, please, my arms ache!” cried Jim- 
mie, just as Lucci put away his pencil and 
closed the book. 

“That will do, thank you,” said the little 
artist. 

“Aren’t you going to show it to us?” asked 
Rand. 

“Oh, yes, if you care to see it,” was the 
answer, whereupon the book was passed to 
Philip, who opened the first page and gave a 
long whistle : 

“Why ! this book is full of fine pictures and 
sketches of everything! Why, say boys, here’s 
the man in the kitchen, isn’t it?” asked Philip, 
turning to the owner of the book, who came a 
step nearer and glanced at the sketch of a man 
in a slouched hat. 

“Yes, that is Tony,” he remarked, smil- 
ing. 

“And here’s a girl playing a hurdy-gurdy !” 
said Philip, turning over the leaves of the lit- 
tle book ; “a woman with a basket on her head, 
three little bare-footed urchins taking a bite 


64 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


of a banana. Here’s a monkey. Say! that 
monkey’s fine!” 

Lucci’s sketch-book brought forth a perfect 
storm of admiration, and when the boys came 
to the drawing of Jimmie, with the pigeons on 
his outstretched arms, they asked him outright 
for it. 

“I would like to keep that,” said Lucci; “but 
I will give it to you.” 

“Who taught you to draw?” asked Rand, 
deeply interested in the little artist. 

“My father taught me, but I could always 
make pictures, even when I was a very little 
fellow.” 

“Does your father paint pictures?” asked 
Philip. 

“My father is dead,” returned the boy, sad- 
ly; then a silence fell between them until Jim- 
mie reminded them that it was time to have 
breakfast. 

After the meal was over, the strangers arose 
to depart, and the man, profuse in his thanks, 
said: 


“LUC CP' 


65 


“You haf been kind, most kind, and I tank 
you ver much.” 

Then seeing Lucci talking in a low tone to 
Jimmie, he said sharply : 

“Come, Lucci, it is time to start.” 

The three boys stood outside and waved 
their hands to the new boy as long as he was in 
sight. Lucci looked back again and again, a 
smile on his dark, handsome face, and waved 
the little old bag that contained his sketch 
book. 

“Lucci is all right,” declared Philip, “and 
can’t he draw! He’s a real artist! I’d like to 
know more about him, wouldn’t you?” 

“Yes, I would,” said his companions, and 
Rand added, “I wonder what relation that 
man Tony is to him. That Italian looked as if 
something was on his mind that troubled him.” 

“I’d like to see Lucci again,” said Jimmie, 
“but we’ll have this to remind us of him.” 

He held up the sketch, while the boys ad- 
mired it all over again, and wondered anew 
about the young artist, who, in spite of his 


66 


BOY , Sf OF PIGEON CAMP 


frank manner, seemed to carry about him an 
air of mystery. 

“I’ll pin this over the door,” said Jimmie, 
“to remind us of Augustine Paolucci.” 


CHAPTER VIII 


“ho, for a swim!” 

One morning, about two weeks after Lucci’s 
departure, the boys were surprised by a visit 
from Jimmie’s father. 

“I had a little time this morning,” said Mr. 
Suter, “and I remembered that I had a pupil 
up here, who wanted to learn to swim.” 

“Ho, for a swim !” cried Rand, “that is just 
what Jimmie and I were thinking of doing.” 

“Well go along. I’ll just step over into the 
woods for a stick that will come in handy,” 
and so saying, he went off and cut a stout birch 
sapling, about twelve feet long and thick 
enough to grasp well with either hand. 

He also had a piece of canvas, about five 
inches wide and long enough to pass around a 
boy’s body under the arms and then to be se- 
67 


68 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


curely tied at the back. A similar piece was 
to be passed around the body lower down, the 
two to be connected by a small, strong rope, 
about three feet long, and attached to the end 
of the pole, so that the prospective swimmer 
looked like a huge fish on the end of a big fish- 
ing pole and line, but the contrivance was a 
good one, as Jimmie and Rand, who had learn- 
ed to swim by it could testify. 

When the teacher and pupil were all ready, 
they waded out a short distance from shore to 
a place where the water was hip deep on the 
swimmer. 

Mr. Suter then passed the pole across his 
shoulders, grasping it with both hands, and 
told Philip to throw himself flat, face down- 
ward, the tension on the rope and the flexibil- 
ity of the pole being just enough to hold him 
in the sling in the right position to take the 
front or breast stroke. 

Mr. Suter then gave directions to push out 
the arms and when the pupil had sufficient 
confidence and realized that he would not sink, 


69 


“HO, FOR A SWIM!” 

he was instructed in the use of his legs and 
feet. 

The next step was teaching him to use them 
all at the same time. This took time and pa- 
tience, but the pupil had not moved a foot in 
distance during this first part of the swimming 
lesson and Mr. Suter stood in the same place 
all the time. 

At the proper moment, when Philip was use- 
ing both arms and legs, his teacher slowly 
moved forward a few feet at a time, telling the 
boy how to breathe at each stroke, not to ex- 
haust himself in his efforts to keep afloat as he 
was securely held out of all danger by the 
bands, the rope and the pole across the teach- 
er’s shoulders. 

Gradually Jimmie’s father increased the 
distance, giving his pupil a word of encourage- 
ment here and there as he went along. 

This was about all that was accomplished 
that first day, but Philip proved to be a very 
apt pupil and after a few lessons on succeed- 
ing days, Mr. Suter was “trolling” him along 


70 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

the water one afternoon when he felt his 
shoulders relieved of the boy’s w T eight and 
knew that the pupil was swimming. 

“I think we ought to try for that rock,” said 
the man, pointing to one a short distance 
ahead, but in shoal water. 

“I’ll try for it,” said Philip, striking out in 
a very satisfactory manner. 

Mr. Suter then deftly “paid out” on the line 
attached to the pole and when he saw that the 
boy was sustaining his own weight and was so 
intent on reaching the rock that he had quite 
forgotten his teacher, the man dropped behind. 
When Philip put out his hand to touch the 
rock he discovered that he was alone, with Mr. 
Suter some twenty feet behind him, having 
slipped the rope from the pole. 

For a moment Philip looked almost fright- 
ened, then he cried out, “Did I swim, did I 
swim?” 

“You certainly did,” said the teacher, with 
a smile. 

“Let’s try it again in just that way,” said 


“HO, FOR A S WIM!” 


71 


Philip, his voice eager with the pleasure his 
performance had given him. 

Again and again the same course was tried, 
with excellent results, until at last all Philip’s 
fear seemed to vanish and he made for the rock 
alone. 

“Say, boys, I can swim ! I can swim !” shout- 
ed Philip, and Jimmie and Rand joined in the 
shouting. 

What boy will ever forget when he could 
shout to his companions, “I can swim, I can 
swim !” 

To have conquered, as it were, one of the ele- 
ments ! To be able to thrust himself head first 
or feet first into deep water and almost defy it 
to swallow him up because he could swim ! 

For the rest of the summer it was hard work 
for Philip to keep out of the lake and the very 
first to congratulate him on his powers as a 
swimmer was his father, who came over one 
Saturday afternoon and had a pleasant sur- 
prise when he saw his boy in the water. 


CHAPTER IX 


PRIZES TO WIN 

Jimmie and Philip were in the barn, getting 
the tandem to take a trip to the village store 
for the oil-barrels, when Rand appeared before 
them with a copy of “Young America” in his 
hand. 

“Listen to this before you start,” said he, 
opening the paper. “I want to read you some- 
thing great.” 

“Hurry then !” cried Jimmie, “we want 
those barrels, you know.” 

“I won’t be a minute — hear this: 

“ ‘Boys, attention ! 

“ ‘What are you doing this summer? 

“ ‘Is it work or play, or a little of both? 

“ ‘Write us a letter, boys, and tell us all 
about your vacation. To the boy sending us 
72 


PRIZES TO WIN 


73 


the best letter we shall give a prize of ten dol- 
lars. To ten boys sending us the next ten best 
letters we will give prizes of five dollars each. 
All communications to be addressed to Vaca- 
tion Editor of Young America before August 
fifth/ ” 

“Fm going to try for that prize,” declared 
Rand, throwing aside the paper. “What do 
you say?” 

“I say go ahead,” laughed Jimmie; “you can 
write a first-rate letter.” 

Philip took the paper and fell to studying 
the printed notice for himself. 

“Fm going to try for a prize, too,” declared 
Philip. 

“Well, when prizes are going to be distrib- 
uted, Fm going to take a chance of winning,” 
observed Jimmie; “come along, Philip, and get 
those oil-barrels.” 

So saying, the two boys mounted the tandem 
and rode swiftly toward the village, but they 
had their journey for nothing and returned 
some time later, disappointed because the 


74 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

grocer did not have even one oil-barrel to 
spare. 

But the mood to build was strong in our 
hero that morning and he decided to make a 
look-out in a big chestnut tree that stood near 
the barn. 

The boys had often climbed up into the 
spreading branches that commanded a fine 
view of the lake and Jimmie had long 
ago declared that he would build the look- 
out. 

Philip and Rand carried the boards and 
passed them up to the builder, who was soon 
deeply engaged in forming the platform in a 
fork of the tree. 

Then there was a little railing built around 
and last of all a few tiny benches were put up 
here and there. 

When the look-out was completed, the boys 
sat up there and made plans until all at once 
they heard a familiar whine and looking down, 
saw Duke, the brown spaniel, with a letter tied 
to his collar. 


PRIZES TO WIN 


75 


The three boys scrambled to the ground. 
Rand untied the letter and read as follows : 

“Company for dinner at Pigeon Camp, and 
you might send back word what you are going 
to have.” 

“That’s my father’s hand-writing,” said 
Rand. “I wonder what’s up now.” 

“He wants to know what we are going to 
have for dinner,” said Philip; “you’d better 
think up something and send word back as 
soon as you can.” 

“I w T ish it wasn’t my turn to be cook this 
week,” said Rand, looking helplessly at his 
companions. 

“Come, Rand,” said Philip, with a twinkle 
in his merry eyes; “make up a menu. What 
kind of soup are you going to have for your 
company?” 

“I’ll bet my father was joking, when he 
asked me what we were going to have for din- 
ner, but I’ll send an answer back that will give 
him a hint that we are not supplied with all 
the delicacies of the season.” 


76 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


Then Rand took pencil and paper and wrote 
the following : 

“Company always welcome at Pigeon Camp. 
Dinner will consist of the following: Mock 
turtle soup — plenty of mock, but no turtle; 
fish, just out of the water, served camp 
style; bread and butter (from the Moon Man- 
sion) ; Pigeon Camp water, clear, cold, spark- 
ling.” 

This was enclosed in an envelope and after 
much coaxing Duke was started homeward, 
but he came back so many times, wagged his 
tail and begged so hard to stay, that the boys 
mounted the tandem and went more than half- 
way home with him. 

At last Duke was prevailed upon to finish 
the errand, whereupon Rand jumped on the 
forward seat of the tandem, Philip on the rear, 
and Jimmie stood on the rear step. 

When they reached the camp, Jimmie lost 
no time in getting into the boat and started off 
to catch some fish for dinner. 

Rand and Philip in the meantime busied 


PRIZES TO WIN 77 

themselves getting everything ready for the 
company. 

It was a very warm day, but over in the 
woods under the pines, it was cool and shady, 
so our little house-keepers thought it would be 
a good plan to have dinner over there. They 
were talking it over when Jimmie appeared 
with a string of fish, and declared that he 
would build a table over there in ten minutes. 

Rand then took the fish to prepare them for 
dinner, and Jimmie made a dive for his lum- 
ber yard, where he had arranged all the 
boards, and odd pieces besides his tools. 

Four stout posts were put down in a very 
short time, and some old boards nailed on; 
these covered with a stiff wrapping paper, 
made a very fair camp table. Then in honor 
of the “company” Rand spread the best Pigeon 
Camp table cloth. 

“Let’s have some flowers, too,” said Rand; 
and Philip disappeared like a flash, returning 
a short time later with a pretty bouquet of 
flowers, gathered from the roadside. 


78 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“I never felt so hungry in my life,” declared 
Jimmie, sometime later, when the odor of their 
light repast, greeted his nostrils. “Isn’t it al- 
most time to have a supply of ‘extras’ from 
home?” 

“It is your turn next,” said Philip; “my 
mother’s supply of bread is almost ended.” 

“I’ll go to-morrow for the basket,” said Jim- 
mie; “perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to get 
some of my mother’s molasses cookies this 
time.” 

The words had hardly passed his lips when 
Duke bounded into their midst with a bark of 
joy, and the next moment a carriage ap- 
peared. 

Mr. Cotter stepped out first and then assist- 
ed the other occupants, who proved to be old 
friends of Rand’s, Mr. Wright and his son 
Samuel, a tall, thin lad, about two years older 
than our boys. 

Greetings were exchanged, and Rand intro- 
duced the boys to his school-mate Sam, who 
had come out from Boston to spend the day at 


PRIZES TO WIN 


79 


Sunnyview, not knowing* of Rand’s jolly life 
at Pigeon Camp. 

While the boys were talking, Mr. Cotter re- 
turned to the carriage and took from the rear 
an immense hamper, that proved to contain 
all sorts of good things for hungry campers. 

There was a row on the lake and then the 
table was set and all hands sat under the pines 
to a “feast of Lucullus.” At least that is what 
the rosy Mr. Wright declared. 

After dinner, every square inch of Pigeon 
Camp was explored by the visitors. 

Sam Wright was very much interested in 
the pigeons and Jimmie agreed to let him take 
a certain white carrier-pigeon home with him, 
which he was to send back the following day 
with a message to the camp. 

Then the boys climbed into the look-out and 
talked over sports for nearly two hours. 

Sometime later they all went in swimming. 

In the afternoon, while the boys were off in 
the woods, they met Hicks Bosworth, Charlie 
Baxter, and a crowd of boys from Sunnyview. 


80 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


A game of base-ball was arranged and 
played, until Mr. Cotter and Sam Wright’s 
father declared that it was time to think of 
starting home. 

Then our boys returned to the camp. Jim- 
mie got the white pigeon he had promised the 
visitor and after pleasant adieus and many 
promises to come again the visitors departed. 


CHAPTER X 


A PIGEON CAMP PLOT 

Early the following morning, when Jimmie 
went to see his pigeons, he was pleased to find 
that the carrier pigeon had returned with a 
tiny piece of paper fastened around its neck. 

He took the pigeon in his hand and went 
outside to show his companions, who instant- 
ly gathered around him, while he opened the 
paper, that contained the following message : 

“Left Boston at 6 A. M. Best wishes to all 
at Pigeon Camp, and hope to see you all again. 

“Sam Wright.” 

“That’s doing very well,” cried Rand. “It 
did not take the bird long to fly home. Now 
we can send a message whenever we like.” 

81 


82 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“I think I’ll train that carrier pigeon to take 
notes to my father/’ said Philip, with a smile, 
and then left the boys to do a little weeding, 
but he had hardly put his foot in the little gar- 
den before he called out : 

“Come here, boys; come and see this!” 

“What’s the matter now?” asked his com- 
panions, approaching the spot where Philip 
was looking down at his plants in the strang- 
est manner. 

“See that!” cried the little farmer. “Some- 
one has been here again and trampled that 
whole outer row of beans.” 

“I tell you,” he went on, “somebody prowls 
around here at night when we are asleep.” 

“I wish we had Duke up here all the time,” 
said Jimmie; “if a stranger was sneaking 
around here after dark he’d bark and give the 
alarm.” 

“Well, why not have him up here?” asked 
Philip, but the other said quickly : 

“No! I wouldn’t think of it. My mother 
likes to have him at home for Tod and the 


PIGEON CAMP PLOT 


83 


baby. She’s often declared he was as good as 
a nurse-girl. He follows them around every 
step they take and if they get into mischief he 
has a peculiar little bark that my mother 
knows at once means, There’s mischief brew- 
ing.’ Oh, no, much as I would like to have 
Duke up here, I couldn’t take him away from 
the children, you see.” 

“Well, there’s something wrong, I think,” 
declared Philip, “whoever it is is not prowling 
around here for nothing. Did you count your 
pigeons this morning, Jimmie?” 

“No, I did not, but I’ll do so at once,” and 
our hero flew to the barn, only to return a few 
moments later, a look of mingled surprise and 
dismay on his face. 

“There are two missing.” 

“Ah! I knew it; I felt all the time that it 
was the hens or pigeons the thief was after, 
and now I see the whole thing! They come 
along the edge of the road to this fence, climb 
over it, and then sneak along to the barn.” 

“But it seems to me if any one got after 


84 


BOYS OF PI OF ON CAMP 


these pigeons at night there would be such a 
commotion that we’d hear them,” observed 
Jimmie; “and still we are all sound sleepers, 
and so, perhaps wouldn’t wake up.” 

“The pigeons may come back ; we’ll wait and 
see,” said our hero. “It would be a terrible 
thing to steal two pigeons! I’d just like to 
catch any one at it,” he added. 

“That would be the thing to do,” said Rand, 
lowering his voice, as if the thief in question 
was within ear-shot. “If any one has been 
prowling around here, he’ll come again when 
he thinks it is safe and we don’t expect him. 
Then we ought to be all ready on the watch 
and catch him.” 

“We’ll watch to-night,” said Philip, but 
Rand returned quickly. “He won’t come to- 
night; he’ll know that we are on the watch 
after the pigeons were missing, so I’m sure he 
won’t come back to-night.” 

Rand was mistaken, however, as he admit- 
ted the following morning, when it was discov- 
ered that the thief had paid a visit to the camp 


PIGEON CAMP PLOT 


85 


sometime during the night and had taken a 
fine, fat pullet away with him. 

Then the boys of Pigeon Camp held an in- 
dignation meeting, and it was voted that the 
thief, whoever he might be, must be caught. At 
first it was agreed that the campers would take 
turns in watching for him, then Jimmie hit 
upon an ingenious plan to capture him. 

First of all he jumped on the tandem and 
made a flying trip to his own house, where he 
found a toy-pistol for exploding paper caps 
that his little brother had proudly brandished 
on the Fourth of July. The toy pistol was put 
in his pocket, and then he went to a “safety 
closet” of his own, from which he took a quan- 
tity of red-fire, carefully packed away in a 
small tin can, and sealed with bicycle tire 
tape. He next procured a small box of paper 
caps, left over from the Fourth, and then bor- 
rowed from his mother wrapping paper and 
twine and some pieces of water-proof waxed 
paper, such as is commonly used in wrapping 
meat. When he had secured all the needed im- 


86 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


piemen ts, Jimmie returned to the camp and 
went straight to his lumber yard, where he 
was soon hard at work. 

He made a small wooden box, with a sliding 
cover. To one end of the box he attached a 
piece of old telegraph wire. This was to act as 
a sort of hook, to which was fastened a small 
wire spring, so that when released the cover 
flew open. 

Then our mechanic fashioned a cartridge 
case from some of the waxed paper and poured 
in a quantity of the red fire powder. The 
toy pistol was then securely fastened with 
wire to the bottom of the box. A hole, large 
enough for the twine, was then bored in 
one end. 

Philip and Rand, who had appeared at Jim- 
mie’s bench, shortly after he had begun on his 
thief-catching machine, gradually perceived 
what was coming, although they did not fully 
understand it till the inventor explained it to 
them. When they saw exactly how the little 
device would work they were delighted and in 


PIGEON CAMP PLOT 87 

a few minutes the “machine” was carried to a 
part of the fence that enclosed the garden near 
the spot where the footprints had been found. 

The little box was then securely screwed to 
the fence, after which Jimmie arranged the 
cartridges as he had planned, pulled the cover 
over and secured it with a thin piece of cotton 
string, leaving about a half-inch of open space, 
th.n taking one end of a fish-line, he walked 
carefully to a window in the cottage that was 
in a direct line with the fence. 

“Now,” said Jimmie, “we’ll take turns 
watching every night till after twelve; if no 
one comes by that time we’ll go to bed, and 
this is the plan : 

“When the one who is on duty discovers the 
thief prowling over there, he must give the 
fish-line a good strong pull, that will snap the 
hammer of the pistol, explode the large paper 
cap which will set fire to the red powder, 
which in turn will burn off the string holding 
the cover. This cover will fly back and presto ! 
the whole place will be lighted up by a red 


88 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

glow and we’ll see the thief and catch him 
too !” 

“What a bully scheme !” cried the other boys 
almost in one breath, and they were so very 
much interested to see how it would work that 
all hands agreed to watch for the thief that 
very night, but he did not come, nor was there 
a trace of him the next night, or the next. Then 
the three boys concluded that they would go to 
bed. It was decided that there was no need 
of all of them losing their sleep, so they agreed 
to watch by turns again, and it fell to Philip’s 
lot to be the first on duty alone. It must be 
confessed that, although at heart Philip was 
full of courage and not given to imaginary 
fears, on the night of his lonesome “watch” he 
imagined he saw a shadowy form every few 
minutes, and he was not sorry when the time 
was over and he was safely in bed. 

In the morning Rand and Jimmie were up 
early, and as Philip was still sleeping they de- 
cided not to call him. 

“Phil’s a plucky fellow,” said Jimmie. “Do 


PIGEON CAMP PLOT 


89 


you know I was half afraid he’d get scared be- 
fore the ‘watch’ w T as at an end and waken us, 
but he stuck it out.” 

“Speak of angels !” laughed Rand, as Philip 
walked into the kitchen where Jimmie was get- 
ting breakfast. 

“You’re all right, Phil,” said Jimmie; “now 
sit down to a good breakfast,” and the little 
sentinel of the night before felt very much 
pleased at his leader’s words, and he told them 
just how he felt, perched up at the window, 
looking out into the darkness. 

The second night, when Rand was on duty, 
brought no better results. It rained during 
the night and was still raining when the boys 
arose in the morning. 


“Too bad,” cried Rand, “it’s a pity that our 
thief-catching machine is spoiled on account 
of this rain.” 

“Nothing of the sort!” declared the inven- 
tor ; “that’s why I made the cartridge of waxed 
paper and put a cover on the box. It will last 
all summer if necessary,” and so saying he 


! 


90 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


turned up his collar, went out in the rain, and 
looked into the box. It was wet a little, but 
the cap and cartridge were dry. Jimmie cov- 
ered it over with a piece of oil-cloth, and went 
back to the house. 

Later on in the morning, the sun came out 
and dried the box and everything in the camp. 

That was a busy day. The boys made a visit 
to Baxter’s store for the oil-barrels, but were 
disappointed and returned to the camp empty- 
handed. 

When the quiet of evening settled over Pig- 
eon Camp they sat outside the tent and talked 
over the house-boat; Jimmie explaining just 
how he intended to put it together. 

Shortly after nine o’clock Rand and Philip 
turned in for the night, while Jimmie took his 
place at the window in the little cottage to 
watch for the thief. 

The minutes dragged on to the boy on duty 
who, when he had been waiting an hour, felt 
as if his eyes would close in spite of himself. 
He kept awake, however, and just as the bells 


PIGEON CAMP PLOT 


91 


from the town clock struck twelve, he began to 
think of going to bed. 

He was so tired that he had decided to 
throw himself on the bed just as he was, when 
suddenly out of the stillness of the night, came 
a sound of splashing water. 

In a flash Jimmie was back at the window r 
and gave the string a vigorous pull. For a sec- 
ond there was a snapping and spluttering re- 
sponse, the cover of the box flew back, and lo ! 
the whole scene before him was bathed in a 
fierce red light, and there at the fence, floun- 
dering in PhiPs tub of water, was the fright- 
ened thief, Shad Wilber. 

When Jimmie saw who it was his indigna- 
tion overcame every other feeling. With a cry 
of rage Jimmie swung out of the window and 
ran as fast as his legs could go for the sneak, 
but Shad had finally got out of the tub of 
water, only to fall on his knees. He was up 
again, how r ever, and away when Jimmie ap- 
proached and gave chase. 

“Fll punch your head when I catch you!” 


92 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


shouted Jimmie, while Shad ran around the 
red fire that was burning low, in a bewildered 
sort of way. 

All at once Philip and Rand, aroused by the 
noise, appeared with a lantern and they too 
started in to help catch the thief. 

The cowardly Shad was paralyzed with fear 
when the three boys got after him. He tried to 
dodge Rand and stumbled almost in front of 
Jimmie Suter. 

“Now Pve caught you,” cried Jimmie, 
pouncing heavily upon him; “you cowardly 
thief!” 

“Let me go, let me go !” pleaded Shad “and 
I’ll give back the pigeons.” 

“You bet you’ll give back the pigeons,” cried 
Rand, “and that fine pullet you stole !” 

“I can’t give that back,” whimpered Shad, 
trembling all over ; “my mother is sick an’ the 
doctor said she ought to have broth, an’ — an’ 
we couldn’t buy a chicken.” 

“You could ask for one,” said Philip, warm- 
ly. Jimmie looked scornfully at the trembling 



With a cry of rage Jimmie swung out of the window 

Page 91. 


































PIGEON CAMP PLOT 


93 


boy, then he loosened his grasp and said, “Get 
out of here.” 

Shad sneaked away in the darkness, and the 
three campers went to bed, well pleased at the 
success of their thief-catching device. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE WATER MACHINE 

The next morning the boys hastened to the 
spot where they had caught the thief and pick- 
ed up all that was left of Jimmie’s novel de- 
vice. They also found to their satisfaction that 
the two stolen pigeons had returned to the 
camp. 

Then they helped Philip to carry pails of 
water to fill his tub. It was while thus en- 
gaged that Jimmie Suter stood for a moment 
and gave a prolonged whistle. 

“Boys, I have an idea!” 

“Out with it,” cried Philip, shortly. 

“Why it’s this: here we are carrying water 
to fill this tub and there’s a whole lake of it 
right at our hand.” 

“What of that ; were you thinking of dump- 
94 


THE WATER MACHINE 95 

ing the lake into the tub?” asked Rand with a 
smile. 

“Fm thinking of making a machine — a sort 
of a sluice-way, you might call it, to carry 
water from the lake to your garden.” 

So saying, Jimmie made straight for his 
lumber yard, and looking over his stock, found 
that he had quite enough material for his pur- 
pose, w T hich was nothing more than an old- 
fashioned endless chain of buckets, for lifting 
water from the lake into a rough wooden con- 
ductor, or spout, and thence by a shallow 
trench in the ground, scraped out with the gar- 
den hoe and paved with small flat stones from 
the shore to the garden, where other shallow 
ditches or furrows conducted the water to the 
different beds of the garden. 

First of all, Jimmie picked out some pieces 
of plank, two inches by ten, and sawed two of 
them into ten-foot lengths, then shaping a 
point on each with his well-sharpened 
hatchet, he drove them into the bottom 
of the lake, about two feet, at a point 


96 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


near the shore, and standing about three feet 
apart. 

When this was done, he sawed up some 
shorter pieces for braces, drove them at an 
angle and by forcing them over he connected 
them to the standards by bolts; with two of 
these to each post he had a very good brace, 
and a trial proved the structure to be quite 
rigid. 

Another piece of plank nailed across the 
top made it still more firm. 

The shore at this point was rather low, and 
the tops of Jimmie’s posts stood at least four 
feet above it, 

“Now boys,” said the builder, “comes the 
hardest part, but I think I can put it through.” 

The boys had been following our hero every 
step and were disappointed when he said : 

“Now my material is pretty well used up, 
and I shall have to look around outside the 
camp for more, so after dinner I’m going over 
to see Mr. Burbank, who owns all the lumber 
of the burned ice-houses.” 


THE WATER MACHINE 


97 


“But he’s over on the south shore of the lake 
fishing almost every afternoon,” said Rand. 

“That’s where I hope to find him,” replied 
Jimmie. 

Philip and Rand, deeply interested in Jim- 
mie’s venture, wondered what he had in mind, 
as the structure thus far in process of build- 
ing had given them no hint and Jimmie had 
not said a word in explanation. 

In the afternoon, the builder sought the man 
he wanted and returned sometime later well 
pleased. 

“It’s all right, boys; I’ve got just what I 
wanted, but I won’t be ready for it for a day 
or two, as I have more work to do with what 
we have here.” 

Then he selected from his tool-chest an 
auger and bit and started to bore inch-and-a- 
half holes in the standards. 

When that was done, he made some measure- 
ments and was soon at work, making what the 
boys thought looked like two small, heavy, bar- 
rels with a stick out of each end. 


98 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


In fact each, was a crude sort of roller about 
eighteen inches in diameter, fashioned from 
pieces of scantling or narrow boards like bed 
slats with ends or heads that were rounded 
out of small pieces of two-inch planks. The 
stick extensions were then rounded off at the 
ends for about four and eight inches and by 
forcing the standards or posts of the staging 
apart the sticks were inserted in the holes. 
One drum was about four feet higher than the 
other. 

“Now,” said Jimmie, “I suppose you want 
to know what that funny-looking thing is for, 
and Fll tell you, I’m going to hoist water out 
of the lake over a belt of buckets and run it 
into Phil’s garden.” 

“Isn’t that fine!” cried his hearers in one 
breath. 

Next day the boys went over to the burned 
ice-houses on the other side of the lake. Part 
of the structure had been built on timbers over 
a shallow part of the lake, the engine and 
boiler being in that part and when the build- 


THE WATER MACHINE 


99 


ing tumbled down, some of the machinery and 
the belting had dropped into the water and 
there it remained, nobody troubling himself 
about it, as the insurance companies had paid 
for everything destroyed. 

But Jimmie had received permission from 
Mr. Burbank to take whatever he wanted in 
the lumber or machinery line and our builder 
had selected an old piece of rubber belting 
about eight inches wide and fifteen feet long. 

This was fished out promptly from the 
water, with the aid of Philip and Rand. 

It was quite heavy and the boys had to work 
hard to roll it up and place it on the buck- 
board they had brought with them. 

They were about to start back for the camp 
when Jimmie saw something else he wanted. 
It was an old wheel, without the tire, from a 
light express wagon. 

“We must have that, too!” cried our hero, 
“and one of the boys will have to wheel it home 
as the buck-board won’t stand the strain.” 

When the boys arrived at the camp and 


L OF Ct 


100 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


dumped the belting on the ground they realiz- 
ed that they were pretty tired and conse- 
quently their enthusiasm had somewhat 
abated, but Jimmie told them that he would 
do nothing more that day on the water-ma- 
chine. 

The next morning he set Philip and Rand at 
work with their shovels and hoes and had them 
cut a shallow trench from the lake to the gar- 
den and around the vegetable beds. After 
that they carried small flat stones for a sort of 
pavement so that the water would run along 
the trench and not all sink into the ground 
before it reached the garden. 

In the meantime Jimmie had fashioned a 
trough from pieces of one-half-inch boards 
nailed to a v-shape, which with its chinks filled 
with clay was nailed to the staging and laid 
to the trench. 

After that, the important part of fitting the 
belt over the drums and attaching the buckets 
was to come. 

It was very hard work, lifting and pulling 


THE WATER MACHINE 


101 


and hauling on that belt and at first it seemed 
as if it never could be made to hang properly 
but the perseverance of the builder and his 
two assistants, conquered in the end and the 
belt was pronounced properly riveted and 
hung. 

The next step of the builder of the water 
machine was to jump on the tandem and take 
a flying trip home to ask his mother for all the 
empty five-pound lard pails she had on hand. 

These were brought to the camp, the handles 
were taken off and straightened out for fur- 
ther use and then Jimmie started in to convert 
the pails to the use of buckets to be attached 
to the belt to lift the water from the lake. 

He had on hand a good supply of small 
rivets and with the handle wire had one of the 
lard pails in a short time fastened to the belt. 

Not feeling perfectly sure that his present 
plan would work to his satisfaction he had 
after much labor turned the belt once around ; 
the pail going well under water, bringing up 
a good supply and dropping it into the upper 


102 


BOY , Sf OF PIGEON CAMP 


end of the wooden gutter as it went over the 
drums and between the flanges attached later 
to the surface of the drum. 

This was encouraging and the other pails, 
about eight all told, were attached to the belt 
in the same way by cutting out a small v- 
shaped piece and making a flat surface to lay 
against the face of the belt and altering the 
shape of the rim of the pail from round to 
an oval, which was better for “dipping’’ or 
taking in the water. 

Then attention was given to the wheel, as in 
its present condition it would surely fall to 
pieces if much strain was put upon it. Jim- 
mie therefore made a trip along the road bor- 
dering the lake and woods and found as he 
had expected, some pieces of telegraph wire, 
that a crew of “linemen” had abandoned when 
repairing the line, a matter our young builder 
had observed at the time and kept in mind. 
In fact anything like a waste of material al- 
ways set Jimmie thinking in what way he 
could use it. 


THE WATER MACHINE 


103 


Picking up the small coil of wire, he slnng 
it over his shoulders and took it into camp. 
Selecting a piece the right length he passed it 
around the rim of the wheel in a groove that 
had been cut before and then making a “turn- 
buckle” of a piece of limb twisted both ends of 
the wire until it had been drawn taut making 
the wheel almost as rigid as if the tire were on 
it, then cutting off the twisted ends close to 
the rim with a file and hammering the wire 
down flat, the wheel was ready to slip on one 
of the stick ends of the top drum where it was 
secured by driving small wedges. A handle 
was then attached to the rim of the wheel long 
enough for two boys to work together when 
turning it. 

The water machine was now practically 
done and it only remained to build a small 
platform to work on, which was made in a 
very short time. 

Then two of the boys took hold and turned 
the machine slowly at first, but increasing the 
number of revolutions as it was seen that 


104 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


the buckets could readily withstand the 
strain. 

i 

As our machine was made mostly of wood 
it strained and creaked as the bearings of the 
shafts grew warm. Indeed, it made such a 
dismal noise that it scared all the hens and 
made no end of fun for the boys to see them 
flying hither and thither, making a great fuss. 

Soon a good stream of water was running 
along the trench and down into the garden and 
in a short time the ground was wet enough to 
suit our farmer, Philip. 

After this first trial of the machine the boys 
smeared the axles with lard and the work was 
completed. 


CHAPTER XII 


THE RETURN 

The following morning the boys were up 
very early, all eager to see the water machine 
work. They made a rush for the lake and 
grasping the handle of the big “toy” tried to 
turn it, but strange to relate, it wouldn’t 
“budge.” 

“What’s the trouble, Jimmie,” asked the 
other boys. “It worked all right yesterday.” 
Our hero was taken aback for a moment when 
he saw what looked like a big failure to his 
plan, but after studying it over for a few min- 
utes he discovered a serious defect in its con- 
struction. 

The lower drum of the machine had been 
placed too far down, in fact the axles were 
touching the surface of the lake, and the water 
105 


106 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


had swollen the wood, during the night so 
that the drum would not turn. 

Jimmie had not calculated on anything like 
this but he knew he could make it right and 
after breakfast he began at once boring new 
holes in the standard and raising the axles 
clear of the water. Then it worked all right, 
and for the rest of the summer, which proved 
to be a rather dry one, Philip’s garden was 
watered well and throve accordingly. 

“Now,” said Jimmie, “that the w r ater ma- 
chine is finished, and I’ve got my hand in, as it 
were, I’m more anxious than ever to begin on 
that house-boat. I wish we had those barrels.” 

“Building a house-boat is a mighty under- 
taking,” said Philip, “do you think you can do 
it Jimmie?” 

“I’m going to try.” 

“ ‘There is nothing like trying 
Or daring to do 
You see that by trying 
The little bird flew.’ ” 


THE RETURN 


107 


Philip quoted the lines with a merry twinkle 
and gave Jimmie a hearty slap on the back, 
“I was only joking,” he went on “when I ques- 
tioned your ability, any boy who could make 
that water machine can build anything, and 
I ? ll bet you can do it.” 

But a little later in the morning when the 
boys of Pigeon Camp took the buck-board and 
after a long walk, reached Baxter’s store, they 
were again disappointed. 

“You know what I said, Jimmie,” said the 
merry proprietor, when he had informed them 
that he did not have one. Oil-barrels ain’t so 
plenty as cheese-boxes nor yet so cheap.” 

“I didn’t think we’d have to wait so long,” 
said the builder. 

“Oh! I’ll have ’em, plenty of ’em, if you 
w r ait ; like as not I’ll have a couple in a day or 
two.” 

“I think we’d better call every day till we 
get them,” observed Rand, and after a few 
purchases, the boys started for the camp. 

It was a busy day, brimful of action, and 


108 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


when the evening set in, after a hot sultry 
afternoon the boys sat near the tent, till it 
grew dark. The sky was dotted all over with 
stars and a half-moon smiled down on the 
quiet scene. 

It was very still, not a leaf appeared to be 
stirring and as the boys looked across the 
waters of the lake, it seemed to stretch away 
into illimitable shadowy depths. 

“Wouldn’t it make a beautiful picture?” ex- 
claimed Philip, who, boy though he was, felt 
the spell of it all — the glorious night with its 
breath of summer fields, the starry sky, the 
dark, shadowy water. 

“If I were an artist I’d try to paint a scene 
like this. What do you think of it, Jim- 
mie?” 

“I was just thinking what a fine night it 
would be to spend on a house-boat. If ours was 
built I’d sleep out there on that lake to-night.” 

The words had hardly passed his lips when 
the stillness of the scene was broken by a pe- 
culiar sound. 


THE RETURN 


109 


“What was that?” cried the three boys, al- 
most simultaneously jumping to their feet. 

“It was a sort of a moan,” said Rand, “and 
it seemed to come from over there.” 

He pointed to the barn just as they heard 
the sound again. 

It was unmistakably a moan and for a sec- 
ond the three boys looked at each other, then 
Jimmie said softly, “Follow me, I’ll get the 
lantern and see if we can find out what it is,” 
but Rand hung back a little and said almost in 
a whisper: 

“I’m half afraid to go, aren’t you?” 

“I’m not afraid of a sound,” said Philip, 
“but I don’t half like to go and hunt up what- 
ever made the queer sound.” 

“Come on,” said Jimmie, and started 
quickly toward the cottage, followed closely 
by Rand and Philip. Jimmie reappeared a 
moment later with his dark lantern, that he 
swung cautiously as he peered right and left 
in the path. 

All was still as the boys began their search 


110 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


and they were more puzzled than ever when 
all at once there was a feeble call for help. 

Jimmie moved quickly in the direction that 
the sound came from and when half-way be- 
tween the cottage and the barn he almost fell 
o^* something lying at his feet. 

He flashed the lantern full on the dark ob- 
ject when to his surprise he beheld a boy, 
stretched on the ground. 

Philip and Rand leaned forward while Jim- 
mie dropped to his knees and held the lantern 
in the boy’s face. 

“Why it’s Lucci !” he cried, “Lucci has 
come back and he’s hurt in some way.” 

“His eyes are closed, he looks as if he were 
dead,” said Rand in frightened tones. 

“We can’t leave him here,” said Philip; “we 
must get him into bed.” 

“You take this,” said Jimmie jumping to his 
feet and passing the lantern to Rand. “Phil 
and I will carry him into the cottage.” 

Then the two lifted the prostrate form of 
the sick boy between them, carried him into 


THE RETURN 


111 


the little cottage and laid him on the bed, 
Rand holding the lantern to light their way. 

Philip ran for water and Jimmie raised 
Lucci’s head and held the glass to his lips. 
The boy opened his eyes a moment, took a sip 
of the water and then fell back on the pillow. 
But it seemed to revive him, because in a few 
moments he opened his eyes and put out his 
hand for the water and Jimmie propped him 
up while he drank the contents of the glass. 

“More,” he said feebly, and Philip hastened 
to refill the glass. 

“Are you hurt in any way?” asked Jimmie 
when Lucci had finished the second glass of 
water. 

He shook his head and said brokenly, “Just 
— tired.” 

“Perhaps he has walked a long distance,” 
said Philip in a whisper to his companions; 
“he looks badly.” 

“Have you walked far, Lucci?” 

The boy bowed his head wearily and closed 
his eyes. 


112 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Have you had anything to eat?” 

“Nothing,” was the faint reply. 

“Ah! that’s what ails him,” cried Philip, 
making a dive from the room. 

“He’s worn out with weakness and fatigue,” 
whispered Rand in Jimmie’s ear; “he must 
have fainted in the path that time we heard 
the moan.” 

In the meantime Philip had warmed some 
milk, put in a pinch of salt, and fed it 
by spoonfuls to the weary lad lying on the 
bed. 

At the last sip of milk, Lucci’s eyes closed 
and the boys put him gently back on the pil- 
low where very soon, the deep, steady breath- 
ing showed that he was in a natural, healthy 
sleep. 

Then the boys went out softly and left him, 
but they sat up for almost two hours when 
they reached the tent, talking over the sudden 
and strange appearance of Lucci. 

At the end of that time it was decided that 
Jimmie should take up his quarters in the cot- 


THE RETURN 


113 


tage to be near the sick boy, if he called or 
needed help during the night. 

“There is some big mystery about Lucci,” 
said Rand, “I felt it the first time I ever saw 
him.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


A LONG SLEEP 

The next morning Jimmie Suter was up be- 
times, He dressed quickly, moving about as 
quietly as possible so as not to awaken tbe 
sleeping boy. 

When he ran out-doors and was half-way to 
the tent he met Philip and Rand, who were 
just coming to call him to breakfast. And 
what a good breakfast it was for the campers 
that morning ! 

It happened to be Philip’s turn to be house- 
keeper that week and Philip always cooked 
more and better than either of his companions. 
In fact he thoroughly enjoyed “getting up” 
a good meal for all hands, and so he had plan- 
ned a tasty breakfast of strawberries and a 
cereal with delicious cream, beside potatoes 
114 


A LONG SLEEP 115 

baked in their home-made oven and tender 
chops broiled to a turn. 

* “Do you suppose we ought to call Lucci?” 
asked Jimmie, when they were about to sit 
down to breakfast. 

✓ 

“Not for the world !” declared Philip; “he 
was sick last night just because he was tired 
out. He said he had walked far — we don’t 
know how far! Now I think the best plan is 
to let him have his sleep out.” 

“I think so, too,” declared Rand; “after a 
good sleep he may wake up feeling better.” 

“Strange, wasn’t it, having him turn up like 
that? I wonder how he happened to come here 
again,” mused Jimmie. 

“He may have run away — wouldn’t that be 
queer!” said Rand. 

“He may have run away from Tony, I didn’t 
half like the looks of that black-browed fel- 
low,” observed Philip. 

Breakfast over, the three boys were soon 
busy with their respective duties. Philip went 
into the cottage on tip-toe and took a peep at 


116 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


Lucci but he was still in a deep sleep and 
Philip hastened to tell the news to Rand and 
Jimmie so that they would not make too much 
noise. 

Then Philip went to the water machine and 
Rand stood near watching the device. It was 
sport for the boys to start it going and watch 
the lard pails move along. 

Everytime Philip used it, he wanted to call 
somebody to show how nicely the thing 
worked. 

“What a genius Jimmie is!” cried Philip, 
“that boy can make anything!” 

“You bet he can !” exclaimed the little build- 
er’s admirer; “I’m just waiting to see him be- 
gin on that house-boat.” 

“Why couldn’t we start it to-day?” asked 
Philip, and just at this point Jimmie who had 
been up in the loft made his appearance. 

“We were just saying, Jimmie, why couldn’t 
w T e begin on the house-boat.” 

“No reason why we can’t except that we 
haven’t all the material, I’m going to try again 


A LONG SLEEP 


117 


this morning for the oil-barrels, in fact I was 
just thinking it would be well to start at 
once.” 

“Shall we all go?” asked Philip, who at this 
point had finished watering his garden. 

“One of us, ought to stay here, I think, so 
that if Lucci wakes up, he’ll not be alone.” 

“I think you had better stay here,” said Jim- 
mie, “while Rand and I go for the barrels.” 

Then the buck-board was brought from the 
barn and the boys began their long tramp to 
Baxter’s store. 

When they had gone Philip put everything 
in neat order about the camp and after taking 
a look at Lucci to make sure he was still asleep 
decided to go fishing. 

He dug for worms, and when his bait and 
lines were ready, untied the boat and pushed 
off. 

Philip had become a very good swimmer 
and was no longer debarred from the joys of 
boating and fishing. 

It turned out to be the hottest day of the 


118 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


season, and when Philip, an hour later, step- 
ped out of the boat with five fine bass on his 
string he decided to put on his bathing trunks 
and live in them for the rest of that sultry 
day. 

It was too hot to have a hearty dinner so 
Philip planned to have the lightest possible 
repast. As the morning hours w T ore on, he be- 
gan to grow impatient to talk to Lucci and 
wondered how long the boy was going to sleep. 

He climbed into the look-out and sat there 
for nearly an hour, looking off now and then 
to see if he could catch a glimpse of Jimmie 
and Rand. 

And still Lucci slept! 

Shortly after the noon hour, two very hot, 
tired, dust-covered boys drawing a buck-board 
on which rested a big oil-barrel entered Pigeon 
Camp and made straight for the barn. 

“Did you get only one oil-barrel?” asked 
Philip who had followed them every step from 
the moment they put their feet inside the 
camp. 


A LONG SLEEP 


119 


“Say, Pliil, don’t talk — it’s too hot! over a 
hundred in the shade at Baxter’s store,” and 
Rand threw himself on the floor. “Don’t 
say oil, say ice or something that sounds 
cool.” 

“All right,” said Philip, smiling down at 
the weary boy, “how does nice cold lemonade 
made in the shade at noon by Phil Moon 
sound?” 

“Good !” cried Rand, rising to a sitting post- 
ture, “have you really got some?” 

“I’ve got some made for dinner, which is 
going to be a very light lunch to-day and we’ll 
have it under the pines.” 

A short time later the two tired, dusty boys 
had decided that Philip looked so sensible and 
comfortable in his bathing trunks that they 
would follow his example, and when they had 
removed the dust of the roads from hands and 
faces, they all went over to the pines and lunch 
was served. 

“This lemonade tastes good !” said Jimmie, 
“and now I’ll tell you about our barrel, as you 


120 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

see, we could only get one, but Mr. Baxter is 
sure that we can have all the others in a few 
days, as he has sent to Boston especially for 
us” 

“That means another long tramp in the 
sun,” observed Philip. 

“I don’t mind that if we only get those bar- 
rels,” said our builder. 

And all this time Lucci was still sleeping. 

In the afternoon the boys stretched out un- 
der the pines until it was time for a swim, 
when they all went down to the lake and en- 
joyed the best “plunge” of the season. 

And still Lucci slept! 

The boys looked at each other when they re- 
turned from their swim and found him still 
asleep. 

“I think we ought to wake him now,” said 
Rand, “I never heard of anybody sleeping all 
night and ’way into the afternoon.” 

“I have,” said Philip; “I heard my father 
tell about a man who had to walk miles and 
miles through a terrible storm, with never a 


A LONG SLEEP 


121 


chance to rest, and, when he reached the house 
he was so exhausted that he slept for two 
days.” 

“But are you sure he’s sleeping?” asked 
Rand, in doubtful tones. 

“Of course he’s sleeping, I’ve looked at him 
a dozen times to-day. If you don’t think its 
sleep take a look for yourself.” 

“I think I will have a look at him,” said 
Rand and followed by the other two boys he 
went into the cottage. 

They had hardly passed the door, however 
when Lucci appeared before them, very white 
and wasted-looking, but smiling and happy. 


CHAPTER XIV 


A boy’s adventure 

Lucci held out a thin hand that was clasped 
warmly by Rand who turned and led the way 
out-doors. 

“Well, Lucci, you’re the biggest sleepy-head 
in Massachusetts, now tell us how you got 
here.” 

“Hold on a minute,” said Philip; “do you 
realize that Lucci hasn’t had a thing to eat 
to-day?” 

“He can’t eat and sleep at the same time,” 
observed Jimmie, with a grin, “just give him 
something now.” 

Philip went indoors and returned with 
crackers and milk while the boys drew up an 
old bench on which the stranger seated him- 
self. 


122 


A BOY’S ADVENTURE 


123 


Lucci looked poorly. He was terribly thin 
and there were dark circles under the big 
brown eyes, but he smiled down on the three 
boys, who had curled themselves on the ground 
at his feet, waiting expectantly to hear his 
story. 

“I suppose you never thought of seeing me 
again at Pigeon Camp, when I went away that 
morning with Tony, but I made up my mind 
then to come back some time and see you all, 
even if I had to run away.” 

“Did you really run away from home?” 
cried Rand. 

“It wasn’t home,” replied Lucci. “I had a 
real home when my mother and father were 
living. I never wanted to run away then. It 
was in a big tenement house where many other 
families lived and all the men and women and 
many of the children worked every day in a 
great big mill. 

“Did you ever see a real mill? Well, this one 
was a great, brick building with ever so many 
windows in it. It was right on the bank of a 


124 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


big river and inside the mill there are great 
wheels that turn around all day long and there 
is a terrible noise all the time. But that was 
my real home in that house near the mill and 
I had ever so many good times there. 

“My mother worked all day in the mill be- 
cause my father was sick. He had a terrible 
cough, and once I heard Pierre, who lived 
down stairs, say my father was in consump- 
tion, but he could paint lovely pictures and 
sometimes when it was a nice day he went out 
to see if he could sell them. 

“Once my father sold a picture for five dol- 
lars! Wasn’t that a lot of money? And Oh! 
didn’t we have a good time ! He bought me a 
sled — a real sled! Not the kind we used to 
make out of a board, you know, but a real sled, 
all painted, with runners on and everything. 

“Well, every day my father used to show me 
how to draw until at the last, he grew so ill he 
could not leave the bed, and one night he died 
and we were all alone, my mother and I. 

“She used to cry a great deal after my 


A BOY’S ADVENTURE 


125 


father died, and it was awful lonesome when 
she went to the mill every day. Once I asked 
her if I could go, too, and work in the big mill, 
but she shook her head and said, Tray to God, 
Lucci; ask Him to take away all the children 
from the mill.’ 

“Well, one morning my mother was too ill 
to go to the mill, and she too had to stay in 
bed for days and days. At last the doctor 
came and after he went my mother wrote a 
letter and Tony came. He was an Italian and 
could not speak very good English, and my 
mother said he was no relation, but my father 
had been kind to him years before and he was 
the only person she could trust with certain 
matters. 

“She also told me that she was an American, 
both her parents, however, were born in Eng- 
land and she said my father was born in Italy 
but had come to this country when very young. 

“She had sent for Tony to tell him about 
me because the doctor had told her she could 
not live. 


126 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“She gave him a sealed letter that he was to 
keep until I was older when I would know 
everything. Well, that night my mother died, 
and two days later she was buried beside my 
father. 

“I was going to run away then and go to 
sea on a big ship. I wanted to be a sailor and 
I asked Tony all about them, but he told me, 
if I would go with him I would have a splen- 
did time and earn lots of money. 

“Then the furniture was sold and one day 
we started for Tony’s place, but something 
happened to the train in the night and we got 
out in the rain and walked and walked until 
we came to this camp. 

“Well, you know how we stayed all night 
here and went away early the next morning. I 
did not know in the least where we were going 
or what I was going to do, but we walked and 
walked through the w T oods and over long roads 
till at last we took a car that went very fast 
and at night we reached the city where Tony 
lives. 


A BOY’S ADVENTURE 


127 


“I did not like it at all. It was a very dirty 
place. There were many men came into see 
Tony and they jabbered away for hours but I 
could not understand a word they were saying. 

“It was something that concerned me be- 
cause sometimes they would turn and look 
right at me, and once a big, swarthy man 
pointed a finger at me and said something that 
made them all laugh, and then they all shrug- 
ged their shoulders and went out and Tony 
was very cross. When I spoke to him he 
said : 

“ ‘Pietro say you’re no good — you-a-sick all 
de time.’ 

“I told him that Pietro was mistaken that I 
had never been very sick. I had hardly said 
the words when the big, swarthy fellow, that 
had made them laugh, came back and talked 
in a low voice to Tony. 

“They got angry, too, about something and 
raised their voices and I was frightened, be- 
cause I felt it was all about me. 

“After more talk, the man took out a greasy 


128 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


old leather bag and drew some money from it 
which he put on the table before Tony. 

“Tony took the money and wrote something 
on a paper. Then Tony came over to me and 
said : 

“ ‘Lucci, you are going to work for Pietro. 
You can go now with him.’ 

“The big Italian looked so fierce at me, I 
was afraid to speak, so I followed him out of 
the house and down a long street and into 
another and still another. 

“At last he came to some stone-steps that 
led downward to the black door of a cellar. 

“I stood for a second. I was afraid to go 
into that cellar with that fierce-looking man, 
but he said, ‘Come on — move quick,’ and I 
went down, trembling. 

“Inside it was a great, wide room filled with 
fruit of all kinds. Hanks of green bananas 
hung from the ceiling and great boxes of 
oranges and lemons were all about. 

“Well, I soon found out what it all meant. 
I was to work in that cellar for Pietro from 


A BOY’S ADVENTURE 


129 


early morning until far into the night, picking 
over fruit. I could never go out. I slept on 
some old bags at night. 

“Pietro said if I was lazy or if I ever went 
out of the cellar he would kill me, but every 
day I said to myself ‘I will run away from 
Pietro and Tony — I will go to Pigeon Camp 
and I will never come back.’ Ah ! but it seemed 
a long time and it was hard. 

“Every day Pietro opened wide the door 
that was at those stone steps but he always 
put up another that had bars close together. 

Whenever he got in a load of fruit, he made 
me go over in a corner of the cellar and stand 
there till he called me, but I was watching and 
waiting, and one morning he opened the inside 
barred door and told me to run away to the 
corner while he carried in great hanks of 
bananas on his back. 

“In and out went Pietro, while I watched 
him like a cat from my dark corner. At last 
he had so many, that he had to place some of 
them near where I was waiting. 


130 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“He had just come into the cellar with a 
great bunch on his back, and came quite near. 
When he turned to put it against the wall I 
made a spring past him, gained the door, and 
ran up those stone steps and down the street 
as if for my life. 

“I could hear Pietro shouting and calling 
after me in a terrible voice, but I never stop- 
ped. I ran on till all at once, in turning a 
corner I ran plumb into the arms of a big 
policeman. I cried to him to let me go but he 
held me all the tighter. I went with him sick 
with fear. Suddenly a man coming out of a 
store jostled against the policeman and for a 
moment he loosed his grip upon me, I wrench- 
ed myself away from him and ran harder than 
ever. 

“Some one called ‘Stop thief,’ and a lot 
of boys and men took up the chase and 
started at my heels, but I turned into an 
alley- way, jumped over a fence into an- 
other street and at last I had escaped 
them all, but I can never tell you the 


A BOY’S ADVENTURE 131 

fear I was in, as I ran wildly, with a mob 
behind. 

“When I was safe, I walked rapidly on and 
on. I did not know nor care where I was 
going. After a long time I had left the crowd- 
ed city behind me and I was on a great wide 
road. A man driving an express team gave 
me a ride for nearly two miles and then I 
walked on again. I passed fields and woods 
and I knew I was somewhere out in the coun- 
try, but had no idea where it was or the name 
of the place and I was afraid to ask anybody. 

“Even when I knew I must be miles and 
miles from Pietro I kept turning around to 
see if he was in sight. 

“I passed a little brown house, when the 
door opened and a boy about as big as myself 
came out with a pitcher. 

“I wasn’t afraid of him, so I asked him 
what was the name of the place and he told me 
it was North Witchell, and asked me if I was 
lost. 

“I went with him to the store and told him 


132 


BOYS OF PIGEON GAMP 


a little about myself and that I wanted to get 
to Sunnyview. 

“ ‘Sunnyview !’ he said, ‘Do you know a boy 
out there named Band Cotter, or one called 
Jimmie Suter?’ 

“ ‘Why, yes !’ said I, ‘they are the Pigeon 
Camp boys.’ 

“ ‘They are the “S. F. B.” boys/ he an- 
swered. ‘I got a badge and a letter from Rand 
Cotter last winter.’ ” 

“Good enough!” cried Rand, breaking the 
silence of the three boys, who had followed 
Lucci’s narrative thus far without a word. 

“That boy must have belonged to our 
club.” 

“Well, go on, Lucci,” said Jimmie, who was 
impatient to hear the rest of the story. 

“I’m glad you met him though,” exclaimed 
Philip. 

“Yes, I was glad I met him, too,” Lucci went 
on. “I went to the store with him and when 
we came out he wanted me to go into the house 
with him and have supper. I was very hungry 


A BOY’S ADVENTURE 


133 


but I was afraid to go into the house, so he 
told me to wait for him on a stone-wall, near- 
by. 

“I waited and after a while he came out 
with some supper in a paper bag and he sat 
beside me on the wall while I was eating it. I 
told him I was going to walk to Sunnyview. 
He said I was miles and miles from it and 
gave me ten cents — all the money he had — and 
told me to ride on the cars as far as North- 
wood. 

“Well, I was very thankful to Dick — his 
name was Dick Warrener — and I said good- 
bye to him and walked on a long, long way. At 
last I took a car and rode on it as far as the 
car went. Afterward I walked again for two 
or three miles. I guess it was near midnight 
when I stopped at a little wooden church on 
a country road. 

“I lay down on a mat at the door but I got 
so cold that I took the mat from under me 
and tried to cover myself, then I knew nothing 
more till morning. 


134 


BOY , Sf OF PIGEON CAMP 


“The sun was shining when I awoke but I 
knew it must be early and I started off and 
walked till noon. 

“Whenever I met a boy, I asked him about 
the roads. I found some berries and sat down 
on the road-side to rest. 

“Then I walked again and got a ride from 
a man, with a load of wood. At last I had 
reached Sunnyview. I was almost dead from 
walking but the thought that I would see you 
soon helped me to keep on. 

“It was dark, and long after supper, when 
I got to the camp. I know I was going to 
call for some one, when I grew dizzy, every- 
thing seemed to spin around and I fell some- 
where. 

“Then you found me and you know the rest, 
but I will never go back to Pietro never — I 
would rather die.” 

“You never shall go back,” declared Rand. 
“I will tell my father the whole story and 
he will advise you, but you shall stay here 
with us for the present.” 


A BOY’S ADVENTURE 


135 


“I’d like to see that Italian once, that’s all,” 
flashed Jimmie. 

“Now, Lucci,” said Philip, with a merry 
twinkle, “have a good time at Pigeon Camp 
and try to forget all about that dago.” 

“But what is to prevent his finding me? I 
am afraid he will go to Tony and make a ter- 
rible fuss and then try to locate me and Tony 
will tell him all about this place and he will 
come out here.” 

“Will he? I’d like to see him around here,” 
said Jimmie clenching his fist in the most ag- 
gressive manner; “why! that rascal ought to 
be put in jail.” 

“And my father will put him there,” cried 
Rand, “if he ever comes out here, threatening 
you or annoying us in any way — so don’t 
worry any more, Lucci, and welcome back to 
Pigeon Camp.” 




CHAPTER XV 


A MOONLIGHT INCIDENT 

Lucci had now become a member of Pigeon 
Camp and very happy he appeared as the days 
went by and there was no sign of the cruel 
master from whom he had so recently escaped. 

At first he had been almost afraid to venture 
a step from the camp fearing that Tony or 
Pietro would be in hiding. After a few days, 
however, he felt braver and went everywhere 
with the other boys. 

Rand had consulted his father the very day 
after Lucci’s appearance and Mr. Cotter had 
come over and assured the lad that no one 
could take him away and never again would 
he be obliged to be a slave in Pietro’s cellar. 

Instinctively, the man was drawn to this 
new member of the camp. Lucci’s appearance, 
136 


MOONLIGHT INCIDENT 


137 


his simple, straightforward manner, the im- 
plicit confidence he placed in the other boys 
appealed strongly to Rand’s father while the 
remarkable talent which Lucci possessed in 
drawing interested him very much. 

He had studied the boy and reached the con- 
clusion that whatever his early environment in 
the mill tow r n might have been, it had in no 
way hurt him. 

Lucci’s manners w r ere gentle, his speech all 
that one could desire, and one evening after 
a delightful day with the campers, Mr. Cot- 
ter had departed w T ell pleased with the four 
happy boys he left behind in Pigeon Camp. 

It was about this time, however, w hen every- 
thing w r as going along smoothly that Jimmie 
Suter had a little adventure he did not soon 
forget. 

It happened at the close of a wet day, when 
the boys had gathered in the cottage to watch 
Lucci sketch. 

The little artist w r as seated at the kitchen 
table, the three boys around him, while his 


138 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

fingers made lightning strokes with the soft 
pencil. 

He had drawn the mill on the banks of the 
river, as he remembered it, and an old foot- 
bridge that was used over a tiny creek in a 
meadow above the mill. 

He had sketched horses and teams laden 
with great bags. 

“Now draw a terrible face,” said Rand, “the 
ugliest one you can imagine.” 

“Yes, watch this!” replied Lucci, and his 
pencil fairly flew over the paper. 

When the sketch was completed, he waved it 
before them. 

“Phew ! but he looks ugly,” commented 
Philip, taking the paper in his hand and study- 
ing the features. 

“Wait, I forgot something,” said Lucci, and 
taking the sketch he hastily wrote under it, 
“Pietro.” 

“If Pietro looks like that I shouldn’t 
want to meet him,” declared Rand, with a 
smile. 


MOONLIGHT INCIDENT 139 

“Now let us see you draw a face exactly op- 
posite,” said Jimmie. 

“The very sweetest one you can imagine,” 
laughed Philip. 

“That’s not so hard,” said the little artist, 
“because I have done it before many times.” 

An outline, then a few strokes of the pencil, 
a soft line and there, some fluffy curls and he 
held up the sketch of a young woman. 

“Ah ! that is pretty,” said Philip and after 
the boys admired it, Rand put it on the wall 
above the table and there it remained. 

Shortly after, the boys decided to go to bed. 
Jimmie went to the door of the cottage and 
was surprised to find that the rain was over 
and a brilliant moon made everything about 
plainly visible. 

The boys left the cottage and started for the 
tent where the four berths were all ready. In 
a short time they had turned in for the night. 

It seemed to Jimmie that he had not been 
asleep very long when he was conscious of 
something near him. 


140 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


In a second he was awake and had his wits 
about him enough to know that someone had 
just stepped out of the tent. 

Jimmie got out of bed, groped for his clothes 
noiselessly and looked around. Philip and 
Rand were in their respective berths sleeping 
soundly but Lucci’s was empty and like a flash 
it came to Jimmie that it was Lucci who had 
walked out of the tent. 

Jimmie was at a loss to explain the strange 
act. He had a feeling that all was not right, 
and was on the point of waking the other boys 
when he heard a sound. 

Wondering what it all meant and why Lucci 
had made the stealthy retreat, Jimmie slipped 
out of the tent and stood in the moonlight 
looking about him. 

There was not a sound, or a sight of Lucci, 
and Jimmie began to walk a little way toward 
the woods when he heard the sound again. 

All at once a strange sight met his eyes. Not 
twenty feet away he came upon Lucci beating 
the stump of a tree with a huge stick. The 


MOONLIGHT INCIDENT 


141 


queer sound was explained, but even as Jim- 
mie looked, Lucci continued to walk in, Jim- 
mie following a little way behind, w r ondering 
wbat was taking Lucci into the woods at the 
dead of night. 

When the boy had gone about a quarter of a 
mile, he turned deliberately and retraced his 
steps. A bell from a distant steeple rang twice 
as our hero kept his vigil, and all at once made 
the discovery that Lucci was walking in his 
sleep. 

“He is going back to the tent, so I won’t 
wake him,” thought Jimmie as he followed the 
new boy step by step, smiling at the thought 
of what Rand and Philip would say and what 
a joke it would be on Lucci to have actually 
w T alked in his sleep. 

Jimmie had sauntered after the sleeping boy 
rather leisurely waiting for him to turn and 
go into the tent but all at once Jimmie’s pulses 
quickened and he saw a sight that made him 
tremble with fear and apprehension. 

Lucci had stood at the door of the tent for 


142 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


a second and then had turned quickly and 
made for the lake. 

For one breathless moment Jimmie stood 
there dazed, wondering what Lucci would do 
next, then he made a dash and ran toward the 
sleeping boy, who had just stepped into the 
lake and was walking calmly out in the 
smooth treacherous water. 

Jimmie caught him by the shoulder and held 
him with a firm grip. 

“Lucci,” he cried, “wake up !” 

He shook the lad several times as he led 
him back to the tent. 

“What is it, where am I?” asked Lucci, look- 
ing in a bewildered sort of way at his rescuer. 

“You were walking in your sleep,” said Jim- 
mie, frightened at the terrible possibility that 
had confronted him but a moment before. 

“You might have walked out into that lake 
and been drowned. Oh, Lucci, don’t ever do 
it again ! You scared me horribly.” 

“When I touched the water I woke up,” said 
Lucci, “but I couldn’t seem to collect myself. 


MOONLIGHT INCIDENT 


143 


I was dazed then he smiled at his rescuer in 
the moonlight, “Did I really walk in my 
sleep?” 

“I should say you did, you must have been 
dreaming that you were on an excursion and 
wanted to go in the woods and lake and all, 
but we won’t talk about it to-night. Go back 
to bed now.” 

Lucci obeyed instantly. Jimmie watched 
him a second as he lay in his berth, then fear- 
ful that Lucci might try it again, he ran out- 
side, got his fishing line and secured Lucci 
around the ankle and then tied it around his 
own. “Now,” said Jimmie, to himself, “if he 
tries it again he can’t go without me,” and he 
turned over and fell asleep. 


CHAPTER XVI 


WHAT THE DAY BROUGHT FORTH 

At breakfast the next morning Jimmie told 
the boys all about his ad venture the night be- 
fore with Lucci walking in his sleep. 

Lucci laughed softly during the recital, al- 
though he looked grave enough when Jimmie 
declared that he might have been drowned. 

“I think I never walked in my sleep before, 
and I cannot imagine how I happened to do it. 
I knew I was thinking a great deal about 
Pietro when I first went to bed, and I had a 
dream about his coming out here and finding 
me. I suppose it was a sort of nightmare.” 

“Don’t do it again,” said Jimmie. “I think 
I’ll tie you every night for awhile till you for- 
get all about Pietro.” 

“I wish you would,” said Lucci, smiling. “I 
don’t care to walk into that lake.” 


144 


WHAT DAY BROUGHT 


145 


“If that house-boat were built I’d almost be 
afraid to let you stay in it all night/’ observed 
Jimmie, “and that reminds me that we must 
go for those oil-barrels this very day. 

“I do want to see that house-boat started/’ 
said Philip. 

“And I want to see it all built,” said Rand. 

“I think we’ll leave the camp in charge of 
Philip and Lucci, while we go for the barrels,” 
said Jimmie turning to Rand. 

“When I have time,” he added, “I’ll build 
a den where Lucci can go and sketch till his 
fingers ache.” 

“Thank you,” said the little artist; “I’ll use 
the whole camp, if you don’t mind, and when 
I get through with it, there is the pine woods 
and the lake. That spot on the bank where 
the willows lean over is just the place to 
dream with a pencil.” 

“Oh! very well, sketch all over the place,” 
returned Jimmie as he got the buck-board and 
started off, little dreaming that an adventure 
was at hand. 


146 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


When they reached the grocery store, they 
were delighted to see several empty oil-barrels 
outside the door. 

“At last we have them,” said Jimmie, just 
as the proprietor appeared and told them how 
glad he was to have been able to get the barrels 
for him this time. 

Jimmie counted out the money to pay for 
the barrels, when Mr. Baxter said with a 
smile. 

“I rather think you boys are going to have 
some visitors at Pigeon Camp to-day.” 

“We didn’t expect any. Who is it?” asked 
Rand. 

“Well, they didn’t leave any cards here,” 
returned the grocer, with a twinkle in his eye. 
“I overheard them askin’ a boy about Pigeon 
Camp, an’ I was interested. I’d never seen 
them in these parts before but they looked like 
Italians.” 

“Italians !” exclaimed Jimmie, aghast at the 
news. “It must have been Pietro and Tony. 
And think of Lucci all alone in the camp !” 


WHAT DAY BROUGHT 


147 


“Did they say anything?” asked Rand, with 
suppressed excitement. 

“Well, they didn’t say anything to me but 
I heard ’em mumbling and muttering a lot 
to themselves, an’ the fact is I didn’t just like 
the looks of them, and wondered what they 
wanted at Pigeon Camp, so after they started 
off I just called in Officer Burr and told him 
my suspicions and he walked after them to see 
if everything was all right.” 

“I’m glad you did that,” exclaimed Jimmie, 
a look of relief passing over his face and in 
a few words he told Mr. Baxter Lucci’s story 
and his fear of Pietro. 

“Well, I vum! I never heard tell o’ such a 
rascal,” exclaimed the grocer; “but Burr is 
just the one to size things up and look out for 
the boy.” 

Then Jimmie and Rand without further 
parley, put the barrels on the buck-board and 
started for the camp as quickly as they could 
on a hot day with a heavy load and a long 
road. They could talk of nothing else, as they 


148 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


went and approached the camp with mingled 
feelings, looking eagerly for a glimpse of 
Philip and Lucci, but neither one was in sight. 

They rolled the oil-barrels into the barn and 
ran hither and thither all about the camp but 
not a soul was visible. 

“Isn’t it strange?” cried Rand; “where have 
they gone? Do you suppose they are hiding 
anywhere?” 

For answer, Jimmie stood for a second and 
gave the long, shrill whistle, that the boys 
knew so well but there was no response, and at 
last Jimmie and Rand made for the woods. 

Again Jimmie gave the whistle, when all at 
once he was answered, and the sound seemed 
to come from some place away off in the 
woods. 

Jimmie and Rand hurried on giving the sig- 
nal from time to time and at last behind some 
rocks surounded on all sides by shrubbery they 
came upon Philip and Lucci lying flat on the 
ground. 

Jimmie smiled when he discovered their hid- 


WHAT DAY BROUGHT 


149 


ing-place, but Philip asked almost in a whis- 
per, “Where are they? Did you see them?” 

“If you mean Pietro and Tony,” said Rand 
following Jimmie who had squeezed himself 
into the hiding-place, “that is the question we 
were going to ask you. Don’t you know where 
they are?” 

“No,” replied Philip, “we supposed they 
were at the camp and that is why we were 
hiding.” 

“Did they see Lucci? Tell us about it,” said 
Jimmie, hastily. 

“Well, it happened this way,” began Philip, 
“some time after you had gone this morning 
I was working in the garden, when all at once 
I heard Lucci, who was up in the look-out, give 
a yell and rush down and make straight for 
the woods. I looked up and saw two men 
coming up the road. I knew in a minute that 
one of them was Tony. 

“Well, I wasn’t overjoyed — in fact when I 
saw that ugly Pietro I was terribly scared, 
but I wasn’t going to show it, so I kept right 


150 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


on working until they both stood before me. 
Tony touched me on the arm and I jumped 
up, just as if I saw him for the first time. 

“I said, ‘Hello, Tony, you out this way 
again?’ 

“He just grinned and said, ‘We want Lucci,’ 
then that great, big, ugly Pietro leaned toward 
me — Ugh ! didn’t he look mad — and he shook 
his fat finger right in my face and growled, 
‘Where is Lucci?’ Well, I stepped back 
with my heart beating like a trip hammer. I 
was never afraid in all my life until then, but 
I said as coolly as I could, ‘I don’t know just 
where he is now.’ 

“Then he stormed. He shook his fist and 
said, ‘You lie !’ That made me mad and I said 
a few things, among others that I didn’t tell 
lies, that I wasn’t sure just where Lucci was 
at that minute, but wherever he was, Pietro 
would never find him and I started and ran 
down the road like an Indian. 

“I hadn’t gone very far when I saw Mr. 
Burr, the policeman, coming toward me. I 


WHAT DAY BROUGHT 


151 


stopped long enough to tell him the whole 
story, then I took a side course and made for 
the woods to join Lucci.” 

“There isn’t a sign of anybody at the camp 
now, I wonder what became of them,” mused 
Rand. 

“Pietro will never go home without me!” 
cried Lucci, “now that he has tracked me here 
he will wait — he will kill me!” 

“He will never trouble you again, I think,” 
said a quiet voice, that made them all turn 
with a start to see Mr. Cotter looking through 
the bushes. 

“Father!” cried Rand, delighted to see his 
parent at that anxious moment, while over all 
the boyish faces passed a look of relief. 

Thereupon Mr. Cotter in a few words ex- 
plained his statement. 

He had happened to arrive at the camp just 
in time to see Pietro talking to Officer Burr 
and had heard him say that he was Lucci’s 
father. Then Rand’s father had surprised 
Pietro with a few facts as presented by Lucci. 


152 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


The Italian was taken aback, and when his 
act of paying money for the boy was repeated 
and the officer hinted at the punishment of so 
grave a crime the Italian begged to be allowed 
to go and promised that never again would he 
come to Pigeon Camp or molest Lucci in any 
way. 

“In a day or two,” said Mr. Cotter, “Tony 
has promised to put into my hands all the 
papers that concern him.” 

“I feel very sure, my boy,” he went on, plac- 
ing one hand on Lucci’s dark curls, “that you 
are safe forever, as far as Pietro or Tony are 
concerned.” And the look of fear vanished as 
the boy expressed his gratitude. 


CHAPTER XVII 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 

“This is just the day to begin my house- 
boat,” said Jimmie the following morning, 
after a brief rehearsal of the visit of Tony and 
Pietro. 

“Let’s see how quickly we can do it,” he 
went on, “so that we may have some fun on 
the lake before we have to give it all up for 
school.” 

“School ! Ugh ! don’t mention it,” cried 
Philip. 

“I want to see that house-boat finished,” 
said Rand, “but you haven’t forgotten those 
prizes we were going to try to win, have you?” 

“No, not quite,” said the builder with a 
smile ; “but we must get that house-boat made 
first of all, and now is the time.” 

153 


154 


BOYS OF PIGEON GAMP 


So saying, they all repaired to Jimmie’s 
lumber yard, where they were soon busy at 
work sorting out beams and boards from the 
lumber pile that Ben Ridgeway had been col- 
lecting for years, which luckily had not been 
destroyed at the burning of the hen-sheds, and 
which he had given them permission to use in 
any way they chose. 

Jimmie had also had it in his mind for a 
long time that he would build the house-boat, 
and had been getting together, as we know, 
whatever he thought that he could use. 

Of course it could not be a very elaborate 
affair. Material and practised skill were lack- 
ing for a genuine house-boat, but the boys 
wanted to go out and live, as it were, on that 
beautiful lake — to revel in the sensation that 
they were really living on the water and at 
the same time being comfortable and safe. 

They could, as we know, have had boating 
all day long, but that at best would be in 
cramped quarters and there would not be the 
freedom desired. But a house-boat! a simple 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 155 


affair, though it might be, a raft with a small 
shelter upon it, would give them a chance to 
walk and move about, and at the same time 
afford protection from the weather. 

When Jimmie looked over his stock he dis- 
covered that while he had plenty of light tim- 
bers and boards, he had none large enough to 
float the raft as lightly as it would have to be 
floated and he would have to depend upon the 
oil-barrels for buoyancy. 

Then Jimmie remembered that he had seen 
some pieces of joist at the ice-houses that 
would suit his purpose very well, for a good 
foundation, so to speak, for the raft. He told 
the boys about it, and they decided to take a 
little trip on the tandem to the other side of 
the lake. A short ride brought them to the 
site of the burned ice-houses and our young 
mechanic pointed out a little run-way or 
wharf used by the ice-cutters in guiding the 
ice-cakes into the shed It was built of posts 
driven in the lake with two good-sized timbers 
as “stringers.” A close examination showed 


156 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


that the wharf was pretty well gone from wear 
and exposure, and it would be an easy matter 
to knock out the bolts that held the stringers 
to the posts. 

But the boys were not sure that Mr. Bur- 
bank intended that they should have these, so 
they called to see him at his home about a 
mile above the lake. “Hello, boys,” said Mr. 
Burbank, “come right up here and tell me 
how you’re getting along.” 

They mounted the cool piazza, w T here their 
friend was comfortably swinging in his ham- 
mock and seated themselves. 

“Have you lifted all the water out of the 
lake yet?” he exclaimed, merrily. “You must 
leave enough to make ice next winter, and now 
what can I do for you?” 

Rand Cotter, who had been appointed 
spokesman of the party by acclamation, said 
with his quick smile — 

“We’ve left enough water in the lake to float 
a house-boat and we came over this morning 
to see if we could make a bargain for some 


BUILDING A HOUSE BOAT 157 


timbers. As you know,” said Rand, “we 
haven’t got very much money, but we ” 

“Oh, ho !” interrupted the man, with a broad 
smile, “you want to trade, do you? You’re a 
good Yankee, Rand, let us hear your offer.” 

Rand had to admit that he had no good offer 
to make, on the contrary he rather expected 
some suggestion from Mr. Burbank. 

“We would take you out fishing in the house- 
boat when we have it built,” ventured Rand. 

“That’s good! but how would you get me 
home again, young man?” 

“We could get you home all right,” said Jim- 
mie, with a smile. 

“Well, boys,” said Mr. Burbank, “a few days 
ago I took a walk over to your camp. As no 
one seemed to be at home I took the liberty 
of looking around a little, and I came to the 
conclusion that one of you knew something 
about farming. I never saw a more thriving 
garden patch in all my life. Now if you will 
bring me over a head or two of that lettuce, 
and a taste of those radishes you may consider 


158 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


that this has been a trade for the timbers, 
which yon may have and welcome.” 

The boys thanked their friend, looking very 
much pleased, and Philip declared that Mr. 
Burbank should have a sample of the best his 
garden afforded. 

The boys returned to the camp and decided 
that they could not do any more that day with 
the timbers, but promised an early visit the 
following day. 

The next morning they started off with a 
few tools, some nails, and a small coil of the 
telegraph wire that had been left over, after 
making the wheel or brake to the “water 
lifter.” 

Lucci was left as housekeeper that morning, 
while the boys were on their two-mile tramp 
around the shore to the ice-houses. 

They did not take the tandem, as it was 
feared that it would be in the way when they 
were bringing home the timbers. 

The walk in the early morning was de- 
lightful, and our three campers, with their 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 159 


sun-browned complexions, their eyes bright 
with the joy of healthy out-door life, en- 
joyed it. 

“Now for a quick job,” exclaimed Jimmie, 
when they arrived at the scene of their labor, 
and after an examination of the wharf, he told 
the other boys that many of the nuts were al- 
ready gone from the bolts and all they had to 
do was to drive them out. 

Band and Philip, each with a hammer, fell 
to pounding on the ends of tl?e bolts to loosen 
them, while Jimmie, with a monkey wrench, 
tried to turn off the nuts. 

This was a difficult task as bolt and nut 
would both turn, which then required “block- 
ing” before the nut could be started. 

After a while, however, all the nuts were re- 
moved and saved with the bolts. Then Jimmie 
took a hand at driving out the bolts that the 
other boys had loosened. 

In a short time that part of the work was 
finished, the beams were dropped into the 
Avater and the boys stopped to rest a moment. 


160 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


About this time Philip thought to ask 
how they were going to get the timbers to 
camp. 

“We can’t drag these big logs over the 
road,” he said, looking puzzled. 

“Why not?” asked the chief builder, with a 
faint smile. 

Philip was about to say that it was impos- 
sible, when it occurred to him that nothing 
seemed impossible to Jimmie Suter, and that 
probably he had hit upon some wonderful way 
of taking the beams home. 

“We’ll get them home, Phil; we’ll open up 
a new road from here and call it the ‘Water- 
way.’ Rand has it all planned out and drawn 
on paper.” 

“The water-way !” said Philip, in all serious- 
ness, looking at the others, who continued to 
smile. Then Rand winked hard, and Philip 
said : 

“Oh! now I see! You are going to float them 
over to the camp.” 

“That’s the plan,” said Jimmie, and with a 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 161 

merry shout they started to put the plan in 
action. 

With a small, sharp hatchet they cut some 
small birches and their limbs that had fallen 
upon the bank of the lake and proceeded to 
make a crude raft by nailing the small trees 
close together in three sections or small plat- 
forms across the timbers which were about five 
feet apart. The telegraph wire was then used 
to bind the raft together more securely. After 
this was done a few longer birch poles were 
cut and trimmed, and then Jimmie and Rand 
got aboard, one on each side, and began shov- 
ing or poling the raft along in shallow water 
near the shore. 

The scheme worked well, and feeling, that 
everything was secure they got Philip aboard, 
gathered up the tools, which were thrown on 
the raft, and started for the camp, making fair 
progress. 

Philip had a shorter pole than the others 
and kept the raft off shore by pushing against 
the banks and rocks as they proceeded. 


162 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


It was quite a distance around, but near 
noontime they ran their raft aground at the 
camp and secured it to a tree on the bank. 

Lucci greeted them, and all hands sat down 
to dinner, which was temptingly set under the 
pines. The house-boat was the chief topic of 
conversation, although Rand tried several 
times to get the boys talking about the prize 
letters they were going to write. 

Jimmie told his companions just how he 
was going to make his house-boat and what 
was expected of them in building it, and when 
dinner was over and the chores done, they 
started in on the big task. First of all, they 
secured six or eight small trees that had fallen 
into the water and from which the bark and 
branches had been stripped. These were laid 
upon the shore, with the small ends over the 
water, about three feet, blocked upon stone 
piers (pyramids of small stones and rocks, 
about two feet high). This brought the trees 
up level, as the shore at this point was a trifle 
higher than at other places and was selected 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 163 


on that account as a “ship-yard.” Thus they 
had a rough kind of “ways,” used in building 
flat-bottomed craft. The “ways” were then 
given a smearing of lard. The timbers they 
had brought from the ice-houses were hardly 
long enough for the required length .of the 
raft, so it was decided to saw them and lay 
them in sections to get the length, connected 
by spiking planks on top over the open spaces. 

The timbers were then sawed and placed on 
the “ways” in their proper places, two on each 
side and two in the centre. When this was 
completed, the boys had the foundation for a 
raft, twenty feet in length and fifteen feet in 
width. 

Some old planks, eight inches in width, were 
then cut and fitted to the top of the timbers, 
bridging the open spaces along the sides and 
secured by bolts they had brought from the 
ice-houses. 

The ends were also secured the same way. A 
few more pieces of plank were laid on edge 
across the top of the timbers and spiked down 


164 


^OYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


with old bolts. At this point the timbers were 
fairly well tied together, but considerable 
bracing had to be done and some “two-by- 
fours” were used to give the required stiffness. 

Jimmie was not quite sure it was rigid 
enough so he hit upon a plan to test it by mak- 
ing a pry or lever out of a plank laid on a stone 
pyramid at one end and then sitting on it with 
the three other boys. The raft was lifted clear 
of the “ways” without “buckling” any. 

Then began the boarding over. Their stock 
of plank was not sufficient for this, so it was 
done with half-inch floor boards collected from 
every place by Ben Bidgeway. Some proved 
to be hard wood, but most were spruce boards 
from old houses. 

As the boarding proceeded, open spaces were 
left for the oil-barrels. It took a great deal 
longer time to do this work than it does to tell 
about it, nor was it all accomplished in a day. 

The boys stopped their work that day at 
sunset and promised themselves an early start 
in the morning. 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 165 


At the end of four days the raft was ready 
for launching. 

In the six spaces braces were nailed to hold 
the barrels in place ; which were to be placed 
as follows : one at each corner and one on each 
of the long sides, at a point about midway of 
the raft. 

It was decided not to take any chance of 
crushing the barrels in the launching, so they 
were put aside to be used afterward. 

Jimmie next made up his mind to get the 
raft overboard at once, so two planks with two 
boys to each were placed at either end on the 
shore side, and by dropping one end of the 
plank on the ground, putting their shoulders 
under the other end, together with a lifting 
and pushing motion, the raft was moved side- 
wise along the “ways” towards the water, 
which was five or six feet deep at a point about 
three feet beyond the end of the “ways.” 

They had succeeded in moving it a few feet 
and were about to give it another heave, when 
Rand shouted : 


166 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Hold on a minute! How are you going to 
get those barrels in place, Jimmie? We never 
can force them under the raft ; they will be full 
of air and we never can sink them.” 

“Well, it’s just about time you boys woke 
up,” said Jimmie with a grin on his freckled 
face, which looked very red from his recent ex- 
ertion. 

“I expected you to ask that question when 
we first began this launching. Of course we 
must get them under and you’ll see pretty soon 
how we are going to do it. Now get ready for 
another heave on your lever and put on your 
thinking-caps.” 

Jimmie cautioned the boys not to overtax 
their strength and told them they must expect 
to work the raft over by inches and not by 
feet. 

It was slow work, but by patience and per- 
severance the big raft moved inch by inch to- 
ward the lake, when all at once, after one un- 
usually heavy lurch, it passed the point 
of balance, with with a great splash the 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 167 

outer side slid into tlie lake and at the same 
time the pyramids fell over and the raft was 
afloat. 

Three cheers were given lustily for the suc- 
cess of the launching, and after a short rest 
the boys donned their bathing suits and were 
soon having a jolly time diving from the raft, 
although it was almost level with the water. 

After lunch that day the work went on, and 
Jimmie said to his companions: 

“Now, who can tell me how we are going to 
get the barrels under the raft? 

“Don’t all speak at once,” the builder went 
on, as his companions looked blankly at him 
and at each other. 

“Of course, we could fill the barrels with 
water,” said Philip; “that would sink them 
low enough, but they would not be buoyant 
then.” 

“That’s the point,” said Jimmie, “and so 
what do you think of trying that arrange- 
ment?” 

He pointed to something at the end of the 


168 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


tent and in a flash Philip understood, but 
Band and Lucci had not solved the problem. 

The oil-barrels were then rolled down to the 
lake and put aboard the raft, with all hands 
ready for the next step. 

Jimmie and Rand took a barrel between 
them and with the help of the other two boys, 
put it in the open space at the end, letting the 
water run slowly in through the bung hole. 

When all the barrels were placed they grad- 
ually filled and sank to the required depth. 
Then they were quickly turned over so that no 
more water could run in, held in place for the 
time being, while Jimmie securely nailed 
braces around and over them to hold them in 
their permanent positions. 

In exploring Ben’s place Jimmie had one 
day come across an old garden pump, and 
while the raft was in process of construction 
he had been fixing it up for the use to which 
he was now about to put it. 

A small piece of hose had been attached at 
the bottom over the suction, the small iron- 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 169 

frame had been fastened to a small wooden 
platform, allowing the hose to be inserted in 
the bung-hole of the barrel, and under Jim- 
mie’s vigorous strokes very soon a good stream 
was being pumped from it and the barrel be- 
gan to rise and with it that corner of the raft. 

“Good enough!” cried Rand, “now I see!” 

“Nobody but Jimmie would have thought of 
that,” said Philip, while Lucci stood there 
gravely smiling at the wonders which the lit- 
tle builder seemed to perform. 

Each barrel was gradually pumped out so 
as not to strain the raft and after a while it 
floated evenly and about fifteen inches out of 
water. The combined weight of the boys at 
one corner sent it down only a few inches. 

The next step in the scheme was to build 
the house, but this was going to be a very sim- 
ple affair. The stock selected was “two-by- 
two,” for the frames and the thinnest and 
lightest boards for the covering, laid like clap- 
boards. 

At the end of three days, the raft was graced 


170 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


by a house, twelve by seven feet in size, with a 
pitched roof, two unglazed windows, but cur- 
tained to keep out rain and sun, a bench for 
seats at each side, and one door, and our house- 
boat was ready for occupancy and use, with 
the exception of the appliance for moving and 
anchoring it. 0 

In a short time, however, Jimmie had made 
two long sweeps or oars from poles about fif- 
teen feet long, fashioning the blades from thin 
boards. Row-locks or sculling standards were 
made from planks to the sides of the raft, 
standing about two and one-half feet above the 
floor or deck with U-shaped cuts at the tops. 
They were placed at opposite corners of the 
raft, one forward, the other aft. 

Into these notches the sweeps were dropped, 
and with two boys at each sweep, walking and 
pushing at the same time, the house-boat made 
fair progress over the water. 

They could all go out to the middle of the 
lake or to some shady nook, under the banks, 
where our little campers could enjoy them- 


BUILDING A HOUSE-BOAT 171 


selves and exult in the feeling that they had 
built the craft with their own hands. 

On fishing trips, they used boat-anchors, one 
at each end, which they found in the barn, Ben 
Ridgeway having been quite a fisherman in his 
day, there was plenty of gear of this sort at 


CHAPTER XVIII 


PRIZE WORK 


For days after the house-boat was finished 
the boys of Pigeon Camp spent most of the 
time in it. It would be strictly truthful to say 
that they lived in it, at least two of them, be- 
cause Jimmie and Rand decided to spend a 
night there also. They secured a blanket or 
two, made a sort of “shake-down,” and de- 
clared afterwards that they never slept so well 
in their lives. 

One Saturday afternoon the boys had a visit 
from Philip’s father and mother. The man 
made a careful study of the house-boat, com- 
plimented the builder, and told Philip that he 
could live on it for a week, day and night, if he 
cared to. 

One morning, when the chores were all 
172 





( fyyf'c-r^ n v & n 4 / 






For days after the house-boat was finished the bcys of 
Pigeon Camp spent most of the time in it. — Page 172. 






PRIZE WORK 


173 


done, the boys were standing right under the 
look-out, when Rand said : 

“Fm going to do something to-day.” 

“What is it?” came in a chorus from his 
three companions. 

“Guess”; and Rand thrust his hands deep 
in his pockets and stood there smiling at each 
one in turn. 

“Fishing in the house-boat, of course,” ven- 
tured Philip. 

“Reading up in the look-out?” questioned 
Lucci. 

“A tandem trip to the North Woods,” said 
Jimmie. 

“Wrong, every one of you, and Pin sur- 
prised, too, that such an important matter 
would not jump into your minds at once,” an- 
swered Rand, drawing a newspaper from his 
pocket. 

“Fll refresh your memory, boys;” and he 
made for the look-out, stood for a moment 
grinning down at his audience, made a mock 
bow and read : 


174 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“ ‘Boys, attention ! 

“ ‘What are you doing this summer? 

“ ‘Is it work or play, or a little of both? 

“ ‘Write us a letter, boys, and tell us all 
about your vacation. To the boy sending us 
the best letter we offer a prize of ten dol- 
lars. 

“ ‘To ten boys sending us the ten next best 
letters, we offer prizes of five dollars each. 

“ ‘Address your letters to Vacation Editor, 
Young America, before the fifth of August.’ "” 

“Why I had forgotten all about it,” said 
Jimmie, laughingly. 

“It is the first time I ever heard of it,” said 
Lucci, very much interested; “are you really 
going to try for the prizes?” 

“Yes, we are all going to try, and as the 
summer is slipping away I think we ought to 
start at once,” said Rand, “at least I am going 
to. I mean to try for the big prize letter. I 
shall write all about what we are doing here, 
and some of our good times.” 

“I think I’ll write a letter, and give that 


PRIZE WORK 


175 


editor a few points about running a camp 
farm, and incidentally throw in a treatise on 
irrigation.” 

Philip had heard his father use that term 
when he first saw the “water-machine,” and 
our little farmer’s eyes twinkled as he re- 
peated it. 

“I want to win a prize,” said Jimmie; “but 
letter-writing is not my strong point. What 
in the world can I do?” 

“Is there anything in the world you can’t 
do?” asked Lucci, with a smile in his dark 
eyes. 

“Heaps,” said Jimmie, laconically. 

“I have it!” cried Rand. “Describe just 
how you made your house-boat and tell our 
fun on it.” 

“I’ll do it!” said Jimmie; “if necessary I’ll 
make a toy-boat-house and send it along.” 

“What are you going to do Lucci to win 
money and fame for Pigeon Camp?” asked 
Philip, turning to the new boy, who had been 
listening to their plans in silence. 


176 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Oh ! I don’t believe I can do anything,” said 
Lucci. 

“You must try,” said Jimmie; “if I could 
draw like you I’d send an oil-painting of Pig- 
eon Camp, with a letter on the back.” 

Lucci laughed softly at this, but Rand said 
in triumph : 

“I’ve thought of the best thing of all for 
you, Lucci; I’ll go home at once and get my 
water colors for you ; then you can do the camp 
in good style, and as Jimmie says, write your 
letter on the back — that will be original. In- 
deed Pigeon Camp is the most original camp 
in America, because my father says it is.” 

Lucci’s brown eyes beamed with pleasure at 
the suggestion. 

“What shall we do with the money if we get 
it?” asked Philip, with a chuckle. 

“Let’s wait till we get it,” replied Jimmie in 
so dry a tone that everybody laughed. 

Then Rand got the tandem and hurried to 
his house for the paints. Jimmie made a 
straight line for the lumber yard, declaring 


PRIZE WORK 


177 


that he felt more at home there than anywhere 
else and could do better. 

Lucci and Philip went to the garden to pick 
string beans for dinner. 

For the next few days onr boys were busy on 
their “prize work.” They did not, of course, 
keep at it all the time. There was still time 
for fun on the house-boat, fishing, swimming, 
cooking camp dinners, and all the rest, but be- 
tween times each boy was writing away. 

One morning Rand called the boys and read 
the following : 

“ ‘Dear Mr. Editor of Young America : 

“ ‘You ought to come out to Pigeon Camp if 
you want to see the place where four boys are 
haying the best time they ever had in their 
lives. 

“ ‘Our camp is a home-made affair, but we 
think it is better than any other style in the 
country. 

“ ‘We have a big tent to sleep in, a little two- 
room cottage to hold things; a great barn, 


178 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


where hens and pigeons make things lively ; a 
real garden that supplies us with fresh veg- 
etables, and, best of all, we have a genius. 

“ ‘His name is Jimmie, and if given a ham- 
mer and nails, he can make anything from a 
toy whip to a house-boat.’ ” 

“How do you like that boys?” 

“That’s good,” said Philip and Lucci, but 
Jimmie shook his head. 

“You can do a great deal better than that, 
Rand; I’d tear that up and try again and 
say nothing about me, please. Anybody could 
do as I have done if he had the material.” 

“I believe I will,” said Rand, “and I’ll write 
in the look-out; that’s my favorite spot to 
scribble.” 

Later, Mr. Cotter called over at the camp, 
and when he discovered the nature of his boy’s 
work he remarked jestingly that Rand cer- 
tainly had a lofty position, and it might give 
“tone” to his letter. 

Jimmie spent his time with his precious 


PRIZE WORK 


179 


wood, nails, and hammer. Philip liked to sit 
in a shady spot, overlooking his garden, while 
Lucci, before a home-made easel, that Jimmie 
had put together, in a few minutes from three 
birch limbs, had rigged up a seat near the lake, 
where he could catch the most artistic view of 
Pigeon Camp. 

And thus these four earnest, happy boys 
busied themselves, each one putting his whole 
heart into the work he loved to do, and of 
course, when each one did love it and put his 
whole heart into it, why, something good must 
get into the work. 

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it 
with thy whole heart, and thy whole soul, and 
thy whole mind.” 

At last the “prize work” was finished and 
sent away, and the thread of camp life was 
taken up again and followed to all sorts of jol- 
lities. 


CHAPTER XIX 


A WELCOME VISIT 

The news of the house-boat had spread over 
Sunnyview, and there was scarcely a day 
passed that a crowd of boys did not put in an 
appearance to see it. 

Most of them had been invited by our boys 
to come aboard and all agreed that to build 
the house-boat was certainly a great feat for a 
lad like Jimmie, and they expressed them- 
selves as only boys can, when a popular com- 
panion has done something worth while. 

The modest little builder, although pleased 
at the pleasure they found in his boat, paid 
scant heed to their praises. 

His head was full of other thoughts. He 
was thinking how he could improve the house- 
boat, both as to use and speed. 

180 


A WELCOME VISIT 


181 


In his mind’s eye, Jimmie saw a bigger, bet- 
ter boat in process of construction. He would 
build a fine one sometime, he promised him- 
self, as he had learned from his experience 
with the first how to improve on several 
points. 

You see, Jimmie Suter was a boy who liked 
to think and it was just because he did think 
and plan and study a thing out for himself 
that he was so successful. 

Our minds are fertile areas, and may be 
made to yield rich harvests, but if we do not 
cultivate them and think for ourselves, the 
noxious weeds of indifference and sloth may 
overcome the fruitful soil and eventually 
choke out all fairer growths. 

But summer was slipping away, and Philip 
remarked one morning as he looked over his 
garden : 

“The string beans are growing tough and 
the peas are gone, but the corn! Just wait a 
few days and we’ll have the finest corn in Sun- 
nyview !” 


182 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“Your garden has done well/’ said Rand, 
“and it still looks thriving.” 

“It’s the sluice-way; it’s the magic of Jim- 
mie’s water-machine that explains it,” replied 
Philip, his merry eyes twinkling. 

“Say, Jimmie,” he added, “let’s get a big 
farm ’way out west, when we grow up and be 
partners, what do you say?” 

“I never thought of being a farmer, Phil; 
I’ve always wanted to build a few things, you 
know.” 

“Well, you may build to your heart’s 
content out there. We’ll strike some west- 
ern wilderness and you can build a whole 
town.” 

“That would be interesting,” said Rand; 
“make a new place and then advertise it and 
write people to come and live there.” 

“I’d like the building part of it,” said Jim- 
mie, with a laugh, “but I’m afraid towns are 
not made in just that way.” 

“Now tell us what you are going to be when 
you grow up,” urged Lucci, who had been an 


A WELCOME VISIT 183 

interested listener to the plans, as he turned 
to Rand. 

“I’m going to be a great traveler if I’m 
strong enough. I mean to see the whole wide 
world some day. Tell us what yon are going 
to do, Lucci.” 

“Oh ! I can’t tell yet; but I know what I 
would like to do more than anything else.” 

“We know ;” returned Philip, “you’d like to 
paint pictures all the time; to be a great ar- 
tist !” 

Lucci’s dark eyes beamed. 

“A great artist,” he repeated softly. “Ah! 
that is the greatest thing in the world.” But 
Philip shook his head. 

“The greatest thing in the world is to own 
acres on acres and have them all laid out in- 
regular order, growing trees and vegetables, 
and fruits and flowers, to watch them and 
study them and know all about them. I’m go- 
ing to own a little world like that some day. 
I’ve seen fine fruit grown right here in Sunny- 
view, but I’m going to try to make mine finer.” 


184 


BOYS OF PIGEON GAMP 


Philip’s enthusiasm in his favorite occupa- 
tion made the boys smile, but they seemed to 
have caught the spirit of it and agreed that his 
plans were big and fine, and that he would 
surely be successful; but their pleasant con- 
versation was interrupted just at this point by 
the ringing of bells, and the next moment a 
whole bevy of strange boys on bicycles appear- 
ed in the road. 

The boys of Pigeon Camp looked casually at 
the approaching strangers, when all at once 
they dismounted at the very entrance to the 
camp. At a signal from their leader, the new 
boys gave three cheers and pointed to the 
badges worn on their sweaters, bearing the 
letters S. F. B. 

At the sight of those familiar letters our 
boys made a dash for the road, where to their 
surprise Lucci ran forward and shook the 
hand of the leader, a sun-burnt lad of twelve 
or so. 

“This is Dick Warrener,” he said, by way of 
introduction, turning to his companions; “he 


A WELCOME VISIT 


185 


is the boy I told you of, who gave me my sup- 
per that night I ran away.” 

“We thought we’d like to see the president 
of the S. F. B.,” said the new boy, when greet- 
ings had been exchanged, “and as we hap- 
pened to know he was at Pigeon Camp, we just 
came out here for a spin.” 

“We are glad to see you all,” said Band, 
stepping forward to do the honors of the camp. 
“Put up your wheels and stay awhile, and 
we’ll show you all over the place; we like to 
know S. F. B. boys.” 

“That was a pretty big scheme and a good 
one,” said Dick Warrener. “I’m the captain in 
our town and all the boys under my eye are 
proud to be members of your club.” 

“It’s a good long ride from your home,” said 
Philip; “you fellows must be tired. Come in 
and have some nice, cool spring water.” 

“Thank you,” said Dick, in behalf of his fol- 
lowers, and thereupon the whole bicycle club 
followed the campers to a shady spot, where 
they refreshed themselves w T ith the cool water, 


186 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


while ten pairs of eyes wandered over the jolly 
camp, saw the snug cottage, the big barn, with 
the circle of pigeons aloft, the garden, and the 
home-made sluice-way. Ten pairs of eyes 
looked keenly at the lard pails, took in the 
look-out, with its rustic benches and caught a 
glimpse of the tent on the shore of the lake, 
but it was the lake or rather something on the 
lake that suddenly riveted all their attention. 

Dick Warrener gazed and gazed and then 
turned to Rand: 

“Is that a house-boat?” 

“It is and a good one, too. Come down and 
get aboard.” 

The members of the S. F. B. thereupon fol- 
lowed their leaders and in a few moments the 
house-boat was sailing over the lake, with 
quite a cargo of boys aboard. 

“Well, say! this is the finest place I ever 
saw,” said Dick Warrener, while his compan- 
ions showed by their faces, that they too appre- 
ciated it. 

When they had had enough of the house- 


A WELCOME VISIT 


187 


boat, they all explored every square inch of 
Pigeon Camp, Rand telling them in the mean- 
time all about the good times they had enjoyed 
that summer. 

Sometime later they all went over to the 
pines for a lunch, where they talked over 
the work of the S. F. B. the previous win- 
ter, and of the widespread interest in the 
movement. 

“It seemed rather queer to put on my S. F. 
B. badge to-day, because we don’t wear them 
in summer. When my mother saw it, she 
asked if I were going to invite the birds to 
dine in August. I told her that we were going 
to call on the president and wore our badges 
on that account. 

“On the way out here we all stopped to rest 
at a spring, where some young men had gath- 
ered. They thought our badges were bicycle 
club badges, and asked us what the letters 
meant. I asked them to guess, and we had lots 
of fun over their answers. One of them said, 
S. F. B. must stand for ‘Saucy fat boys/ but 


1 88 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

we didn’t look saucy and none of us was very 
fat. 

“Then I told them that the letters stood for 
‘Society for Feeding Birds/ and all about your 
big movement. 

“One of them was very much interested. He 
said he, too, would like to join, so I told him 
to write to the president, Mr. Band Cotter, and 
get a badge and a list of instructions. He said 
that any movement to save our birds w T as a 
good one and he told us that the governor of 
his State had only recently issued a public let- 
ter to the boys, asking them not to kill birds or 
destroy their nests, as the work they did in 
getting rid of insects was invaluable.” 

“I’m very glad to hear it,” said Rand; “of 
course our club is active only in winter, but 
members can join at any time.” 

“It seems to me,” said Jimmie, quietly, “we 
might wear the badges in summer also. It’s 
true we don’t have to feed the birds now, but 
we are still their friends, and we don’t want to 
see them stoned or stolen or destroyed, so we 


A WELCOME VISIT 


189 


could wear our S. F. B. badges, and those let- 
ters could mean the ‘Society of Friends of the 
Birds.’ ” 

“That’s a good idea,” cried Band, “and I’m 
not sure but that it’s a bigger and more com- 
prehensive meaning than our first, but in 
either case the S. F. B. is a great big scheme — 
three cheers for the S. F. B !” 

These were given lustily, when conversation 
was resumed until it was time for Dick War- 
rener’s club to start for home, but their visit to 
Pigeon Camp was one of the happiest events 
of the summer, and not a boy’s soul of them 
but thrilled at the thought of the jolly times 
our four little campers had together. 

Every member of Dick Warrener’s club felt 
proud to know the lad who had first thought of 
and started the S. F. B. movement. Uncon- 
sciously, their future hero was our own modest 
Jimmie Suter. 


CHAPTER XX 


A FEW INCIDENTS 

Jimmie and Rand had jumped on the tan- 
dem one morning for a flying trip to the vil- 
lage store to buy some provisions for the camp. 

As they approached the square they met 
Hicks Bosworth and stopped a moment while 
he asked them how everything was getting on 
at Pigeon Camp. 

“Do you ever see Shad Wilber up there?” 
asked Hicks, with a chuckle. 

“No, and we don’t want to,” flashed Rand. 

Hicks’ face broke into smiles. 

“I heard all about the night you set a trap 
for Shad,” he went on; “his brother Ikey was 
hiding behind the fence that night and saw the 
whole thing, but it’s only just leaked out. You 
see Shad threatened Ikey as to what he’d get 
if he ever told, and Ikey didn’t dare breathe it, 
but the other day Shad did one o’ his mean 

190 


A FEW INCIDENTS 


191 


tricks on Ikey, who up and told the whole 
story, and say, it was great ! 

“I just wish I’d been there to see the fun. 
By the way, are visitors allowed ?” 

Hicks asked the question with a grin, where- 
upon Jimmie, who always liked this particu- 
lar schoolmate of his, said quickly: 

“Visitors welcome; your inspection so- 
licited.” 

“Glad to hear that; I’ll tell Charlie Baxter, 
and we’ll go up some afternoon before school 
opens.” 

“Before school opens?” repeated Rand in 
surprised tones. He gave a low whistle, and 
added thoughtfully: 

“It isn’t a great way off, is it?” 

When the boys started, Hicks called after 
them, “There’s a letter in the post office for 
you, Jimmie.” 

“Who in the world has been writing to me?” 
said Jimmie, very much surprised. “We’ll get 
our things at Baxter’s first, and then call for 
the letter.” 


192 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


The groceries were procured, and made into 
one large package that was secured to the tan- 
dem. Then the boys hastened to the postoffice, 
where Jimmie got his letter. 

“I never saw that hand-writing before/’ said 
he, studying the cramped letters curiously. 

“A foreign post-mark ! It’s from Ben Ridge- 
way, I’ll bet !” cried Rand ; and such proved to 
be the case, when Jimmie opened the letter 
and he and Rand read it together — parts of it 
aloud : 

“Friend Jimmie: 

“I now take my pen in hand to write a few 
lines to you, and hope you and yours are well. 
It seems a long time since I left America, and 
I have been wondering if you were camping at 
my place ; also if you still looked after my hens 
and pigeons, which I hope you do. 

“There is a little trouble about Sarah’s will, 
and I may have to stay right on here for some 
time, but I shall pay you when I come back, a 
dollar a week when your school opens. 


A FEW INCIDENTS 


193 


“Sarah left a few legacies to old friends over 
here and these must be paid. 

“Take good care of my place and everything 
Jimmie, and when I come back I will tell you 
a secret. I will tell you how you can make a 
pile of money. This may surprise you, but I 
tell you there is a pile of money to be made 
right in Sunnyview for a smart boy like you. 

“I have had this in my mind a long time to 
tell you and you will hear it when I come back 
to America. Don’t forget. 

“I like Jersey and the place is little changed 
in fifty years. It is a fine place to live, and 
things are cheap. You can buy all the fish you 
want for two pennies. 

“But there is no chance to make a dollar 
here. I think sometimes if I was older, I 
would stay right on living here, but as it is, I 
am young enough to make money in a good 
business venture. 

“This is all at present, from your friend, 
“Ben Ridgeway.” 


194 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“That’s just like Ben,” said Jimmie, putting 
aside the letter with a smile ; “he’s always got 
some mystery on hand and gets my curiosity 
aroused to the highest pitch.” 

“Isn’t he queer,” said Rand, “to write in 
that letter as if he were young? I’ll bet Ben is 
near eighty.” 

“But he’s smart, and he’s a very bright man, 
even if he is that age,” declared Jimmie. “Now 
wouldn’t I like to know what he has in his 
head about making a pile of money in Sunny- 
view.” 

“Have you any idea what it might be?” 
asked Rand, with a smile. 

“Not the least; if there is a fortune to 
be made in Sunnyview, it seems strange 
that nobody has ever found it out before 
this.” 

The boys were still talking over Ben’s letter 
when they appeared in sight of the camp. In 
a short time the tandem was in the barn and 
the groceries safely in the kitchen closet, and 
Rand and Jimmie hurried to get aboard the 


A FEW INCIDENTS 195 

house-boat, where Lucci and Philip were idly 
drifting. 

The boys told their companions about meet- 
ing Hicks, and Jimmie read Ben’s letter 
aloud, so that Lucci and Philip might have a 
guess as to Ben’s plan of making a pile of 
money. 

But neither of them ventured an opinion, 
and after awhile the conversation drifted to 
other channels. 

“Hicks Bosworth surprised me by mention- 
ing the word ‘School,’ ” said Rand, smiling. “I 
don’t believe there is such a place.” 

“Ok! but there is,” laughed Philip; “this 
jolly vacation is nearing its close.” 

“It’s been the shortest one of my life, I 
think,” said Rand, “and I just hate the 
thought of leaving Sunnyview and Pigeon 
Camp and all this fun. Somehow, I never felt 
this way before, but enough said! Let’s not 
think about school till the last moment.” 

“Excuse me,” said Jimmie, “we’ve got to 
think about it for a certain reason, and the 


196 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

sooner we decide a certain matter the better. 
You know, Ben Ridgeway wants me to stay 
here and watch over his place till he returns 
from Europe. Well, of course, I shall have to 
go to school when it opens, but I am going to 
ask my father if I can come up here and live 
from Friday night until Monday morning. 
Now, what I want to know is, if you all could 
come over occasionally and stay too.” 

“That would be jolly!” cried Philip, and 
Rand almost in one breath. 

“What are you going to do with me?” asked 
Lucci, a rather doubtful smile on his face. 

“Why, Lucci! we had forgotten all about 
you being a homeless kid,” and Rand, who had 
never known privation or hardship, laughed 
merrily. “I shall have to ask my father about 
you,” he added; “but I feel it in my bones that 
youTl have to go to school.” 

Philip, whose quick sympathy detected a 
note of sadness, and a look of homesick long- 
ing in the little artist, said quickly : 

“We’ll look out for you, Lucci, never fear.” 


A FEW INCIDENTS 


197 


“I would like to go to school,” said the bov, 
earnestly, his fine face lighting up ; “I want to 
learn about everything, but, oh! I would so 
like to stay here. I would rather live here in 
Pigeon Camp than anywhere else in the 
world.” 

“Well, we’ll see what can be done,” mused 
Jimmie, “perhaps you could live here until 
Ben gets back.” 

At this point in the conversation, the atten- 
tion of the boys was arrested by a man waving 
his hand to them from the shore. 

The house-boat was put ashore as quickly as 
possible, the four boys jumped off to see the 
stranger. 

“There’s been a break-down over there in the 
woods,” he said, “and I thought perhaps I 
might borrow a ‘jack.’ You might know where 
I can get one.” 

“I can let you have one,” said Jimmie, and 
disappeared into his lumber yard, returning in 
a moment with the necessary “jack.” 

“Good!” said the man, hurrying to the 


198 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


scene of his mishap, followed by the boys of 
Pigeon Camp. 

They found a large, red automobile in the 
road that ran through the woods. The only 
occupants, evidently, had been the man who 
had borrowed the “jack,” and his little daugh- 
ter, a girl about the age of our boys. 

“I was going along smoothly enough when 
puff ! I struck a bent horse-shoe nail and here 
I am, but I think with the help of this ‘jack’ I 
can fix it all right.” 

He started to take the wheel off, when the 
girl said quickly : 

“I’m going to walk over to that float we saw, 
father.” 

“Don’t fall in there !” shouted the man with 
mock gravity, then lowering his voice, he said 
to the boys standing around : 

“Is it all right, over there?” 

“Yes, sir,” said Rand, “it is perfectly safe, 
but, if you please, I’ll go over and show her 
around.” 

The man nodded approvingly, and Rand 


A FEW INCIDENTS 


199 


hastened after the retreating figure of the 
girl. 

In the meantime the man was at work and 
Jimmie Suter’s quick eye and ready hand help- 
ed him not a little. 

“I see you know how to handle tools, my 
boy,” said the man kindly, when in a remark- 
ably short time the thing was done to his sat- 
isfaction. 

“I’ll bet you are a handy lad,” he added. 

Jimmie smiled, and then crept under the 
big touring car. He never had had an oppor- 
tunity before of studying the mechanism from 
underneath. 

When he crawled out, he looked very much 
pleased. 

“And now, where’s my girl?” asked the 
stranger, returning the “jack” and looking 
about. 

His little daughter. was nowhere in sight, 
but after walking a short distance they caught 
a glimpse of her near the look-out. 

“What a sightly place !” exclaimed the man, 


200 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


as he approached Pigeon Camp with the three 
boys ; “that view of the lake, through the pines 
is magnificent. Do you all live here?” 

“We do for the present,” answered Philip; 
“this is our camp,” and he went on to give the 
man a short history of the place. 

In the meantime, Rand and the little girl 
had retraced their steps to the float, and were 
standing there, when the others came up. 

“Oh ! father !” she cried, with girlish enthus- 
iasm ; “this is the very jolliest place you ever 
heard of. That is a real house-boat, out 
there on the water, built by a boy, and 
they are camping here and isn’t it perfectly 
lovely !” 

Jimmie grinned, but he blushed deeply as 
the girl went on in her pretty way and repeat- 
ed much that Rand had told her about his do- 
ings. 

“It’s good!” said the man; “it’s first-rate. 
Keep right on, my boy, and you’ll build some- 
thing that the world needs, some day.” 

“Oh, father! I would just like to step into 



“Oh ! FATHER ! ” SHE CRIED, “THIS IS THE VERY JOLLIEST PLACE 

you ever heard of.” — Page 200. 






































r 


4 













' # 





























































A FEW INCIDENTS 201 

that house-boat. May I? Just for one little 
sail?” 

“Is it perfectly water-tight — sea-worthy eh ! 
my boy?” inquired the man, smiling down on 
the builder, who assured him with a blush that 
it was “safe.” 

“Now, Marjorie,” said her father, taking out 
his watch; “we have less than thirty minutes 
for a sail around here, won’t that be too 
short?” 

“Oh! dear no. That is better than no sail 
at all. Do let us go !” 

“Go along,” said the man, and they got 
aboard; then Captain Jimmie Suter proceed- 
ed to make that boat do the very best that was 
possible. 

That he succeeded was shown by the many 
compliments bestowed upon her and her cap- 
tain and her crew by the stranger and his lit- 
tle daughter. 

Indeed the visitor was so thoroughly pleased 
that, when they all came ashore a short time 
later, he went over the camp, to see the sluice- 


202 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

way, the garden, the pigeons and the fine look- 
out. 

When ready to start, the boys w r alked over 
to the wood and saw them mount into the big 
red car, and they stood and watched it as it be- 
gan to puff, puff, puff, while the owner pro- 
ceeded to back it and then turn it around. 

“Now Marjorie, we have thirty miles before 
us,” said the man. “Good-bye, boys, and thank 
you very much.” 

“Good-bye, boys,” said the smiling girl, her 
blue eyes flashing from one to the other of our 
little campers, who, with caps off and faces 
wreathed in smiles, bade her adieu. 

The big touring car started, but she looked 
back again and weaving a slim hand cried out : 

“Good-bye, Jimmie,” and the little builder 
shouted gallantly : 

“Good-bye, Marjorie — good-bye.” 


CHAPTER XXI 


A PLEASANT SURPRISE 

“Have you thought of a good name for our 
house-boat, Rand?” asked Philip, the day after 
the incidents related in the previous chapter. 

“Yes, I have thought of a splendid name and 
I intend to paint it on the boat, sometime to- 
day.” 

“Pm glad to hear that; she’s been nameless 
long enough. Why don’t you start it now?” 

“I think that is just what I’ll do,” and so 
saying, Rand went into the barn for some 
white paint, while Philip, who had an errand 
to do at the village, followed to get the tan- 
dem. 

“I’ve got to get a few things at Baxter’s,” 
he said to Rand, when they were inside the 
barn; “if I didn’t look out for certain things 
we’d find ourselves short — you and Jimmie 
203 


204 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


never think whether or no we have a pinch of - 
salt in camp.” 

“What’s the use of Jimmie thinking about 
it, when you do it all the time?” and Rand, 
having secured his materials, vanished with a 
backward grin at Philip. 

In the meantime our little gardener and 
house-keeper had mounted the tandem and 
was looking around Tor either Lucci or Jimmie 
to accompany him. 

He found Lucci sketching a corner of the 
lake, where a great willow leaned over and al- 
most touched the shadowy water. 

The little artist never heard Philip till the 
latter had jumped off the tandem and laid a 
hand on his shoulder. Then Lucci’s dark eyes 
looked inquiringly at the intruder for a mo- 
ment, only to revert again to the beloved 
sketching. 

“We artists don’t like to be disturbed,” said 
Philip, with a merry twinkle; “guess I’ll come 
some other time.” 

“What is it? Anything I can do?” asked 


PLEASANT SURPRISE 


205 


Lucci, putting down his pencil, but Philip was 
walking away and never heard till the boy 
called him. 

“Philip, what is it? What do you want me 
to do?” 

“Finish that picture,” shouted Philip and 
Lucci took up his pencil with a smile on his 
bright face. 

Philip reached the float and stood there 
watching Jimmie Suter sweeping out the 
house-boat. 

“Ahoy there, Captain Suter !” 

“Ahoy, Phil!” 

“Say, Jimmie, I’m going to the store, on the 
tandem, do you want to come?” 

“Sure; I’ll be ashore directly.” 

Philip stood there waiting for him, when all 
at once Jimmie cried : 

“Let’s put the tandem aboard, sail to the 
other side of the lake and take a short cut to 
the village on the tandem.” 

“Good!” cried Philip; “we’ll bring our sup- 
plies home by water.” 


206 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“But I didn’t know you were going to use 
the house-boat this morning,” said Rand, ap- 
pearing on the scene, with his brush and 
paints. “I want to paint that name.” 

“Well, what’s to hinder? You can paint 
while we propel,” declared Philip. 

After a little work, the tandem was placed 
aboard the house-boat, the boys followed, and 
they made fair progress for the other side of 
the lake. 

Rand worked slowly and had only one letter 
finished when they were about to land. 

Philip and Jimmie came to look at the big 
“M” before they went ashore. 

“ ‘M,’ what does that stand for?” asked 
Philip. 

“What do you think?” 

“Well, it might mean ‘monkey’ or it might 
stand for ‘moonshine’,” retorted the merry 
Philip, while Rand held his brush aloft and 
looked critically at the letter. 

“It might, but it doesn’t mean either in this 
case,” said Rand; “now you boys go along to 


PLEASANT SURPRISE 


207 


the store and I ? ll work all the time you’re 
away.” 

Thereupon Jimmie and Philip took the tan- 
dem between them, rolled up their trousers 
and waded ashore when they mounted and 
rode swiftly toward the village. 

Charlie Baxter met them at the door of his 
uncle’s store as they jumped off and told them 
that he had just come from the post office and 
there were four letters there for them. 

“Four letters!” cried our boys almost in a 
breath. 

“Yes, there’s one for each of you at the 
camp,” said Charlie. 

It did not take the campers very long to get 
their bundles all in one package, which was 
securely fastened to the front of the tandem 
and then fly to the little post office, where the 
surprise awaited them. 

“ ‘Mr. Rand Cotter,’ ‘Mr. J ames Suter,’ ‘Mr. 
Philip Moon,’ ‘Mr. Augustine Paolucci !’ ” 
cried Philip, reading the address on each let- 
ter aloud. 


208 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


“What can it mean?” he whispered; and 
started to open his letter in the post office. 

“Wait!” cried Jimmie; “I think I know 1 
what they are; let’s not open them till we go 
back to the camp, then we’ll all open to- 
gether.” 

“Yes, that would be the better way,” replied 
Philip, thrusting the letters inside his blouse; 
“but I can hardly wait till I get there.” 

Then the two boys mounted the tandem and 
away they went like the wind, almost doubled 
in two as they “scorched” over the long coun- 
try road, leaving a trail of dust behind them. 

Rand had just finished his second letter 
when lie heard a shout, and looking up beheld 
the riders on the shore, waving the letters. 

“Hurry up! We can’t wait; get that house- 
boat started !” cried Philip. 

“What’s the hurry?” returned Rand, put- 
ting down his brush slowly. “Sugar and salt 
will keep.” 

“We have something here besides sugar and 
salt. Hurry, Rand, hurry!” 


PLEASANT SURPRISE 


209 


“Don’t get excited,” said the painter, coolly ; 
and stood off a moment to survey his work. 

“Do you think that ‘A’ looks artistic?” 

He turned leisurely to Philip and asked the 
question with a grin, but when he noticed the 
four letters that the boy held up to his gaze, 
Rand took the oars at once and moved the 
house-boat as near the shore as possible. Then, 
in a shorter time than I can write it, the cargo 
and the crew went aboard and headed for the 
camp. 

Lucci was still at work, but our boys set up 
such a shout as they neared the float that he 
put away his sketching and ran to meet them. 

“Lucci! there’s something up! and I have 
my suspicions that it’s something good !” cried 
Philip, as they jumped ashore. “You have a 
letter and I have a letter and Red-Handed 
Cotter and Jimmie de Bite!” 

Then the four boys opened their mysterious 
letters and for one brief moment there was 
dead silence, as they read the contents. 

Suddenly a mighty shout w T ent up from the 


210 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


four boys, each of whom w T aved a letter over 
his head. 

“Talk about luck !” cried Philip. “Did you 
ever hear of anything like the luck of Pigeon 
Camp — just listen to this: 

“ ‘The editor of “Young America” takes 
great pleasure in presenting a prize of five dol- 
lars to Master Philip Moon, for his interesting 
letter on his camp garden.’ ” 

“Phew! Hurray — Ah-h! P-i-g-e-o-n. Rah! 
Rah! Rah!” 

Philip tried to stand on his head when he 
finished this war-whoop, but Rand cried 
proudly : 

“Listen to this, ye Pigeon Campers!” 

“ ‘The editor of “Young America” takes 
great pleasure in presenting Master Rand Cot- 
ter a prize of five dollars for his excellent let- 
ter on his summer’s outing at Pigeon Camp.’ ” 


PLEASANT SURPRISE 


211 


“Hurray ! Hurray ! La-La-La ! 

“Pigeon Camp, Pigeon Camp, Rah! Rah! 
Rah !” 

Rand had hardly finished his “yell,” when 
Lucci said eagerly, “Why ! I can’t believe this, 
hear ” 

“ The editor of “Young America” takes 
great pleasure in presenting Master Augustine 
Paolucci a prize of five dollars for his fine pic- 
ture-letter, entitled, ‘A Bit of Our Camp.’ ” 

“But wait! Isn’t this fine?” cried Jimmie, 
with heightened color on his freckled cheeks. 

He held the precious letter in both hands, 
while all the others leaned forward to read it 
also. 

“ The editor of “Young America” is pleased 
to present Master Jimmie Suter the prize of 
ten dollars for his original toy house-boat let- 
ter’ ” 

“The first prize !” exclaimed Rand, “I knew 


212 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


it; I felt it in my bones that you’d get that 
prize, Jimmie.” 

“I never dreamt of getting the first prize,” 
said our hero, modestly, “but I did my very 
best.” f 

“Oh ! this is too good to keep !” cried Philip, 
who seemed to be fairly bubbling over; “I’ve 
just got to tell somebody; let me fly home and 
tell my mother, will you?” 

“Let’s do something to honor the occasion,” 
said Rand. “What can we do?” 

“I have it,” said Jimmie; “this is a sort of 
a family affair, it seems to me, so, suppose we 
invite our folks up here to-morrow and have 
a Pigeon Camp spread?” 

“Can’t do it,” said Philip, “I just happened 
to think that my father told me last Saturday 
when he was over here that he and mother 
were going to Connecticut for a few days. 
The fact is,” Philip went on, “my father 
said he had just made the discovery that I 
had gained in every way this summer and 
so he thought he was entitled to a lit- 


PLEASANT SURPRISE 213 

tie vacation and was leaving me in good 
hands.” 

“My father is away on a short visit, too,” 
said Rand; “but we can have your folks up 
here, Jimmie.” 

“My father is at work, so of course he can’t 
come; but I’d like to have my mother and Tod 
and the baby.” 

“And I’d just love to get Tod aboard that 
house-boat,” said Rand. “Oh! we’ll celebrate 
the luck of Pigeon Camp, never fear!” 

All during dinner that day the boys could 
talk of little else than their good fortune in 
winning the prizes. 

“What are you going to do with all that 
money?” asked Philip, turning to our hero. 

“Some good, I hope,” laughed Jimmie. “I 
shall save it until I need it, and now what are 
you going to do with yours?” 

“I don’t know yet. I have been saving all 
my spare change for months to buy a camera; 
father knew it and has often helped me, but 
just wait until I show him that prize!” and 


214 BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 

Philip’s merry eyes flashed at the happy 
thought. 

Lucci, who had never possessed so much 
money in all his life, declared that he felt rich 
enough to do almost anything. 

As for Band, although the sum of money in 
itself was nothing to him, the thought of win- 
ning it as a prize for something well done was 
as sweet to him as it was to any of his com- 
panions. 

They were still talking over their good for- 
tune when Rand slipped away to finish paint- 
ing the name on the house-boat. 

When his task was completed he strolled 
back to the camp to find Lucci sketching away, 
oblivious to everything, and Jimmie and Rand 
discussing pigeons. 

Sometime later in the afternoon all the boys 
went down to have a swim, and then it was 
they saw for the first time the new name paint- 
ed on the house boat in large letters: 


“MARJORIE.” 


PLEASANT SURPRISE 


215 


“Do you like it?” asked Rand, when each 
boy had read it over to himself and looked crit- 
ically at the new name. 

Lucci and Philip declared that they liked it 
very much and were glad that Rand had 
named it in honor of the bright little girl, who 
had enjoyed her sail on it so much. 

Jimmie, however, looked doubtful. 

“The name in itself is all right,” he said, 
“but it’s too pretty for that old ark.” 

“Think so?” rejoined Rand. “Then I’ll 
paint it over and call it Outer’s Ark.’ ” 

“No, don’t you do it!” cried Jimmie, and 
with that he turned a “cart wheel” and was 
the first to dive off the float. 


CHAPTER XXII 


THE LAST DAY 

All too soon the happy vacation of the boys 
of Pigeon Camp had slipped away and one 
morning, as they sat near the tent, they told 
themselves that it was the last day. 

“The last day at Pigeon Camp and school 
begins to-morrow,” observed Rand. “I, for 
one, don’t like to think of it.” 

“And still,” said Philip, “there are some 
good things about going back to school. I al- 
ways look forward to promotion, going higher 
and learning more, don’t you?” 

“Yes, I do,” returned Jimmie; “I love to 
think of going forward all the time.” 

“Well, there is plenty of work to do this last 
day,” said Philip, “although we’ll not have to 
move very much on account of Lucci’s being 
here.” 


216 


THE LAST DAY 


217 


“That’s so, and I’d almost forgotten it,” de- 
clared Rand, while Lucci smiled contentedly, 
as they went on to discuss plans. 

The little artist had begged to be allowed to 
live at the camp until Ben Ridgeways return. 
The parents of our boys had talked the matter 
over together, and had agreed that he might do 
so. Jimmie’s mother had promised to look 
out for his clothes and mending, as Lucci was 
going to attend day school and Sunday-school 
with Jimmie. 

It had also been arranged that Jimmie 
would spend a great deal of time at the camp 
after school and on Saturdays. This meant, 
of course, that the jolly times at the camp 
would not cease and Philip and Rand had 
promised to pay frequent visits to the scene of 
their summer’s outing. 

When the boys had talked over future plans 
they started in to have a general house-clean- 
ing day at the camp. Jimmie put everything 
in the barn in order and straightened out his 
lumber yard. Philip pulled up the withered 


218 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


corn stalks in his garden and stacked them on 
the shore of the lake, while the other boys 
piled on wood and all sorts of debris, as it had 
been planned to have a huge bon-fire on that 
last night. 

Afterward, Rand made several expeditions 
on the tandem to his house and brought back 
some books that Lucci might read while he 
was care-taker. 

When everything was arranged to their sat- 
isfaction, the four boys went aboard the Mar- 
jorie and drifted about the lake, making many 
plans for the coming winter. 

They were on the lake when Rand’s father 
suddenly appeared in his automobile. He 
beckoned to them to come ashore and when the 
boys jumped off the boat he called Lucci and 
Jimmie to help him carry a great basket. 

“As this is going to be the last night, I 
thought I’d bring over a ‘spread,’ ” he said, 
with a smile. 

“And you are coming up here to celebrate, 
aren’t you?” asked Rand. 


TEE LAST DAY 


219 


“No, I think I’ll leave you this last night 
quite to yourselves, boys”; and so saying he 
waved them adieu and started off. 

Then the boys discovered that there were 
ever so many things to do that last day. There 
was a “last” swim and a “last” spin ; there was 
a “last” look at the North Woods, besides a 
score of other “last” glimpses to be taken. 

Rand wrote a “last” letter to Dick War- 
rener, and some of the other captains, telling 
them about the prizes won and urging them to 
renew their interest in the S. F. B. the coming 
winter. 

He was in the look-out writing away, when 
Jimmie suddenly appeared beneath. 

“Finished those letters yet?” 

“Yes,” said Rand, smiling; “the letters were 
finished long ago.” 

“Then what are you doing up there?” asked 
our hero. 

For answer Rand snatched up the piece of 
paper on which he was scribbling, and crush- 
ing it into a ball, let it fly at Jimmie’s head. 


220 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


Our hero opened the crumpled paper, and a 
smile played over his freckled face as he read 
an original “poem.” 

“Come down,” said Jimmie, throwing to the 
four winds Rand’s poetical effusion, “it is al- 
most time for supper, and I’m hungry.” 

The afternoon sped away and as the early 
twilight set in our boys sat down to their “last 
spread.” 

The big basket was found to contain all 
sorts of goodies, but these disappeared shortly, 
when four hungry boys were ready for the re- 
past. 

When the dishes were cleared away they sat 
near the tent and told stories until it grew 
dark, when they all repaired to the shore of 
the lake. 

Jimmie applied a match to the great bon- 
fire, and when it was blazing away at its best, 
the boys danced around it, leaping and shout- 
ing like four young Indians. 

At last the great heap burned low, and after 
awhile only a few charred embers remained, 


THE LAST DAY 


221 


but while there was a spark of light the boys 
sat round it, and their fresh, young voices 
could be heard far across the lake as they sang 
our good old tunes. 

Song after song filled the woods and neigh- 
boring fields, until the last spark of the big 
fire was extinguished, and it was time to think 
of going to bed. 

“What a glorious summer this has been!” 
said Eand, as he turned in for the night. 

Glorious indeed ! 


CHAPTER XXIII 


“GOOD-BYE.” 

The next morning at six o’clock, Rand Cot- 
ter was all ready to leave Pigeon Camp and 
Sunnyview. Shortly after breakfast, his 
father appeared in his automobile, and our lit- 
tle camper ran to meet him. 

The next moment he had waved a good-bye 
to the boys and disappeared down the road in 
a cloud of dust, bound for Boston. 

About an hour later, Philip and Jimmie 
waved adieus to Lucci as they rode the tandem 
through the shortest road to Philip’s home. 

Lucci stood a moment in deep thought as he 
watched the tandem till it was out of sight. 
He knew that Jimmie was coming back for 
him in time for school, yet he felt strangely 
home-sick. It was almost as if something had 
222 


“GOOD-BYE” 


223 


gone out of his life. How lonely the camp 
seemed without them ! 

The boy fell to thinking of the many 
changes that had come to him. He looked into 
the past and saw again in his mind’s eye, the 
terrible Pietro and the long days he had spent 
in the cellar. Then his wanderings flashed be- 
fore him and he lived all over again the weary 
days that he had walked through the country 
towns around Sunnyview, trying to reach the 
camp. 

The camp ! Ah ! that started a happy train of 
thought and the little artist smiled, till at last 
a big tear welled up in his deep eyes and rolled 
down his sun-burned cheek. Jimmie found 
him an hour later, sketching near the tent, 
and told him it was time for school. 

Here we shall leave Pigeon Camp for the 
present, although the good times there are not 
over by any means. 

With four wide-awake boys in a place like 
Pigeon Camp, all sorts of lively happenings 
are sure to result. 


224 


BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


Our boys made themselves so famous the 
winter following that first summer at the 
camp that their doings are still talked about 
by the people of Sunnyview. 

And it was not all play either ! 

There was work and good work, too; but it 
is safe to say that it was all fun to our boys, 
Jimmie and Rand and Philip and Lucci. 

You may read all about this fun and their 
famous doings in the next volume of the Pig- 
eon Camp Series. 


PIGEON CAMP SERIES 

By MARTHA JAMES 

Illustrated Cloth Large i2mo $1.25 


JIMMIE SUTER 

J IMMIE SUTER is a sturdy, active, honest 
boy, whose father and mother are very 
worthy people in moderate circumstances. 
What Jimmie lacks in pocket money, however, 
he more than makes up in mechanical inge- 
nuity and other good qualities, and his best boy 
friend is the son of a rich man, but not spoiled 
by the fact. They have royal times making and 
sailing an ice-boat and doing many other things, 
and best of all they organize the “ S. F. B.,” or Society for Feeding 
Birds, which spreads far and wide and is productive of most enjoyable 
acquaintances besides doing good service in the cause for which it was 
intended. Deeds of kindness to a queer old neighbor bring an unex- 
pected reward, and the bright, wholesome book ends in a most pleasing 
manner. 

“ Martha James seems to have a good kind of insight for this juvenile 
literature, and in the course of an interesting story drops many valuable 
suggestions about the employment of a boy’s time and his habits of life 
outside of school.” — Syracuse Herald. 

“In his kindness and thoughtfulness for both men and animals, 
Jimmie is an ideal boy.” — The Watchman , Boston . 

“The happy, wholesome book closes in a thoroughly satisfactory 
way . ’ * — Chicago Inter- Ocean . 

“The tone is simple and healthy, and the book will no doubt find 
many young readers.” — The Churchman , Milwaukee. 



For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
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JACK TENFIELD’S STAR 

By Martha James Illustrated by Charles Copeland Large i 2 mo $1.00 

J ACK TENFIELD is a bright Boston boy, who, 
while preparing for college, is brought to face 
the fact that his father, a benevolent physi- 
cian, and supposed to be well-to-do, had really 
left no estate. Jack resolutely defends his 
father’s memory, and makes the best of it. Cir- 
cumstances bring much travel and many adven- 
tures, in all of which his generous, manly 
character rings true. That Jack is capable of 
being his “own star’’ well expresses the ex- 
cellent thought of the book, which is remarkable 
for variety of well-told incidents. 

“ A clean, wholesome, enjoyable book.** — The Amer- 
ican Boy , Detroit , Mich. 

Tom Winstone, “Wide Awake” 

By Martha James Large i2mo Illustrated by W. Herbert.Dunton $1.00 

W E have often wished that we could secure a book for boys like the 
undying ones written by J. T. Trowbridge, and in “ Tom Win- 
stone” we have a young hero whose story is told in a way well worthy 
to be compared with the work of the older writer referred to. The 
sterling quality shown in “ My Friend Jim” is all here, and “ Tom,” an 
older boy, equally efficient in baseball, a foot race, or a noble action, is 
well worth knowing. 

“Any healthy boy will delight in this book.”— Living Church , Milwaukee , Wis. 

My Friend Jim 

A Story ot Real Boys and for Them 

By Martha James Large i2mo Illus- 
trated by Frank T. Merrill $1.00 

J UST the book to place in the hands of 
bright, active boys, and one that the 
most careful parents will be glad to use 
for that purpose. The loyal friendship 
springing up between Jim, the son of a me- 
chanic, and a wealthy man’s son who is at 
Sunnyside farm for his health, has made the 
basis for some of the cleanest, brightest, and 
most helpful descriptions of boy life that we 
have ever read. 

'• It is a book that boys will like and profit by.” 

—Universalist Leader , Boston. 




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TWO YOUNG INVENTORS 

THE STORY OF THE FLYING BOAT 

By ALVAH MILTON KERR Illus- 
trated $1.25 

H ERE is a rattling good story; a tale of 
mystery, mechanism, and getting on in 
the world that will be a boy’s favorite for years. 
Two youths, both born inventors, make each 
other’s acquaintance as a result of misfortunes 
attending a Minnesota cyclone. Their efforts to 
perfect a flying-boat that shall not only skim the 
water, but rise into the air, result in the securing 
of a mechanical education. Mr. Kerr has 
solved the problem of a book that shall be 
intensely exciting and yet thoroughly wholesome. 

“The ingenuity and pluck of these two worthy heroes supply just the right 
material for the encouragement of ambitious youth.” — Boston Beacon, 

*' The book is full of life, incident, and stirring success.” — Watchman , Boston. 
“ The book is deeply interesting, at times intensely exciting, and yet thoroughly 
clean and wholesome throughout.” — Portland Express. 

YOUNG HEROES OE WIRE AND RAIL 


By ALVAH MILTON KERR Illus- 
trated i2mo Cloth $1.25 

T HE place which the sea once held in sup- 
plying thrilling tales of heroism and peril 
is now being largely usurped by that powerful 
agent of progress, the railway service, and with 
no lessening of interest. It is also very attrac- 
tive to know how those who bear the vast 
responsibilities of this service perform their 
work and meet the fearful emergencies that 
may arise at any time. 

“ The tone of the work is healthful and inspiring.” - 
Boston Herald. 

“They are calculated to inspire boys to become manly, and incidentally they 
contain considerable valuable information.” — Newark News. 

“ An ideal book for a young boy is ‘ Young Heroes of Wire and Rail.* ” — 
Episcopal Recorder , Philadelphia. 


For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

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THE GREGORY GUARDS 

By Emma Lee Benedict Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill i2mo $1.25 

A YOUNG man of wealth is trustee for a 
fund to help boys and chooses six to pass 
the summer at his home on an island near New 
York. These lads of widely different tempera- 
ments in true boy fashion form a “club,” 
whose highest purpose it is to watch over the 
property and interests of their benefactor, and 
to which they give his name. All profit in great 
measure from a summer that is a turning point in 
their lives. A story of reaping good by doing 
good, bright and entertaining and full of life, 
incident, and good sense. 

“ It is a story along novel lines, and may be warmly 
commended.*’ — St. Louis Globe. Democrat. 

TKe Young Vigilantes 

A Story of California Life In the Fifties 

By Samuel Adams Drake Illustrated by L. J. 

Bridgman Price $1.25 

F EW men now remain who can describe the 
“Forty-Niners” from personal knowledge 
and experience, and the very best one of them 
is the noted historical writer, Col. Drake. One 
of two young chums in Boston yields to the ex- 
citement of the day and goes to California, partly 
at his friend’s expense. Later, the hero of the story 
is driven by injustice to make his way thither via 
the route across Nicaragua, befriended by an old 
sailor. A reunion and exciting experiences in San 
Francisco follow. 

“ The book is a bright, able ? and wholesome contribution to the knowledge of 
our country’s progress.” — Religious Telescope, Dayton, O . 

Joe’s Signal Code 

By W. Reiff Hesser Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill $1.25 

T HIS book tells of the abandoning of a fine ship with its cargo in the 
Pacific Ocean. The leading characters, who are to leave in the last 
boat, had their escape cut off by its destruction, but succeed in saving the 
ship and lead a most interesting life for more than a year on a hitherto 
unknown island. 

“ The boys will enjoy it from cover to cover. The book is many degrees above 
the ordinary story.” — American Boy , Detroit. 

For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

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PHILLIPS EXETER SERIES 
By A. T. DUDLEY 

Cloth, i2mo Illustrated by Charles Copeland Price per volume, $ 1 .25 


FOLLOWING THE BALL 

H ERE is an up-to-date story presenting American boarding-school 
life and modern athletics. Football is an important feature, but it 
is a story of character formation in which athletics play an important part. 

“ Mingled with the story of football is another and higher endeavor, giving the 
book the best of moral tone.” — Chicago Record-Herald. 

MAKING THE NINE 

T HE life presented is that of a real school, interesting, diversified, 
and full of striking incidents, while the characters are true and 
consistent types of American boyhood aud youth. The athletics are 
technically correct, abounding in helpful suggestions, and the moral 
tone is high and set by action rather than preaching. 

“The story is healthful, for, while it exalts athletics, it does not overlook the 
fact that studious habits and noble character are imperative needs for those who 
would win success in life.”— Herald and Presbyter , Cincinnati. 

IN THE LINE 


T ELLS how a stalwart young student won his position as guard, and 
at the same time made equally marked progress in the formation of 
character. Plenty of jolly companions contribute a strong, humorous 
element, and the book has every essential of a favorite. 

“The book gives boys an interesting story, much football information, and many 
lessons in true manliness.” — Watchman , Boston. 


With Mask and Mitt 

W HILE baseball plays an important part 
in this story, it is not the only element 
of attraction. While appealing to the natural 
normal tastes of boys for fun and interest in 
the national game, the book, without preach- 
ing, lays emphasis on the building up of 
character. 

“No normal boy who is interested in our great 
national game can fail to find interest and profit, too, 
in this lively boarding-school story.” — Interior, 
Chicago. 



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Making of Our Nation Series 

By WILLIAM C. SPRAGUE 

Large i2mo, Cloth Illustrated by A. B. Shute 

Price per volume, $1.50 

The Boy Courier of Napoleon 

A Story of the Louisiana Purchase 

W ILLIAM C. SPRAGUE, the notably suc- 
cessful editor of “The American Boy,” 
has given for the first time the history 
of the Louisiana Purchase in entertaining story 
form. The hero is introduced as a French 
drummer boy in the great battle of Hohenlinden. 
He serves as a valet to Napoleon and later is 
sent with secret messages to the French in San 
Domingo and in Louisiana. After exciting ad- 
ventures he accomplishes his mission and is 
present at the lowering of the Spanish flag, and 
later at that of the French and the raising of 
the Stars and Stripes. 

"All boys and girls of our country who read this book will be delighted with it, 
as well as benefited by the historical knowledge contained in its pages.” — Louis - 
ville, Ky., Times. 

"An excellent book for boys, containing just enough history to make them hunger 
for more. No praise of this book can be too high.” — Town Topics, Cleveland, O. 
"This book is one to fascinate every intelligent American boy.” — Buffalo Times. 

The Boy Pathfinder 

A Story of the Oregon Trail 

T HIS book has as its hero an actual character, 

George Shannon, a Pennsylvania lad, who 
at seventeen left school to become one of 
the Lewis and Clark expedition. He had nar- 
row escapes, but persevered, and the story of 
his wanderings, interwoven with excellent his- 
torical information, makes the highest type of 
general reading for the young. 

"It is a thoroughly good story, full of action and 
adventure and at the same time carrying a bit of real 
history accurately recorded.” — Universalis t Leader , 

Boston. 

"It is an excellent book for a boy to read.” — New- 
ark, N. J., Advertiser. 


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price by the publishers 

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Raymond Benson Series 

By CLARENCE B. BURLEIQH 

Illustrated by L. J. Bridgman Large i2mo, Cloth 
$1.50 per volume 


The Camp on Letter K 

]y[R. BURLEIGH, the well-known editor 
* of the “ Kennebec Journal,” Augusta, 
Me., and a Bowdoin graduate, has 
started a series of books along the same 
lines as those of Elijah Kellogg, which 
still retain the popularity they gained a 
generation ago. “The Camp on Letter K ” 
deals with two active boys in Aroostook 
County, Maine, close to the northeastern 
boundary of our country, and where smug- 
gling across the Canadian line has been 
prevalent. Equally ready in athletics, 
hunting, or helping their families on the rich farms of that section, these 
good chums have many exciting adventures, the most important of 
which directly concerns the leading smugglers of the district, and an 
important public service is rendered by the boys. 

“There is an atmosphere about the whole book that is attractive to boys, and it 
will be read by them with enthusiastic delight. The flavor of the pine forests, the 
adventures of camp life, the shooting and the fishing are all of a character to warm 
boyish hearts.” — Democrat and Chronicle , Rochester , N. T. 

“ It is a good, live story, natural, absorbing, full of humor and appealing to a 
sportsman’s instinct in its pictures of the woods and hunting.” — Chicago Nevis. 

“The tone is manly throughout, the fun of the best kind, and the book is dis- 
tinctly readable for any age.” — Zion's Herald , Boston. 

“The book is one of the best boys’ books that have appeared this year, if not 
the best.” — San Francisco Call. 



For tale at all booksellers or seat postpaid on receipt of 
price by the publishers 

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You mg Defemder Series 

By ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS 

IN DEFENCE OF THE FLAG 

A Boy’s Adventures in Spain and Cuba in the 
War of 1898 

Illustrated by W. F. Stecher i2mo Cloth $1.25 

A STORY of action and adventure such as all 
healthy boys like, telling of a plucky young 
American who defended his country’s flag against 
mobs in Spain and foemen in Cuba, and had many 
thrilling experiences. 

“Suffice it to say that he will be a lucky boy, with many a thrill before him, 
who finds this book in his Christmas stocking. Don is a hero after every boy’s 
heart.” — Boston Herald. 

WITH LAWTON AND ROBERTS 

A Boy’s Adventures in the Philippines and the Transvaal 

Illustrated by C. Chase Emerson i2mo Cloth $1.25 

T HE stirring adventures of a manly American boy who follows Lawton 
in his last campaigns, and by a singular train of circumstances has 
“ moving accidents by flood and field, ’ ’ in two wars, with American soldiers, 
Filipino insurrectos, Malay pirates, English troopers, and Boer burghers. 

“ Mr. Brooks presents vivid pictures of both wars, so widely separated. His 
pages are full of the swift-moving incidents which boys love. Dull indeed must 
be the young reader whose interest flags.” — Boston Journal. 

UNDER THE ALLIED FLAGS 

A Boy's Adventures in China During the Boxer 
Revolt 

Illustrated by W. F. Stecher i2mo Cloth $1.25 
'THE stirring story of an American boy’s adventures in 
-*• Tien Tsin and Pekin, in the ranks of the Interna- 
tional troops and as one of the defenders of the be- 
leaguered legations. Up-to-date, absorbing, and full of 
healthy excitement. Characters who are in the stories 
“With Lawton and Roberts ” and “ In Defence of the 
Flag ” reappear in this story. 

“ Men and women, boys and girls, of all the mingled nationalities that made 
this war in China so picturesque, appear in the story and give it vigor, variety, and 
onflagging interest.” — Cleveland World. 


For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 








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